


Reckless

by Wolfie_giirl



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017), Riverdale (TV 2017) RPF
Genre: Dark Betty Cooper, Dark Jughead Jones, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-03-28 01:56:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 28,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13893792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfie_giirl/pseuds/Wolfie_giirl
Summary: Betty just moved to Riverdale, and she's already in the middle of a huge family rivalry, so she leaves in the middle of the night and stumbles on the White Wyrm.This is basically Bughead centered, so if you don't like it, I'm sorry. There will be drama and there will be smut and there will be a lot of kinks to be explored, just you wait.I chose not to put warnings so the story won't be spoiled, but if there's anything extremely heavy I'll put a warning at the beginning of the chapter. However, I ask you to keep in mind this work includes Dark!Betty and Dark!Jughead.I guess I should probably warn you this is my prompt and my story, and as trashy as it is, it's my trash, so don't copy or steal it, please.There'll usually be links to songs and/or to outfits at the end of each chapter, so read the notes.





	1. Would you lie with me and just forget the world

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, this is my first Bughead fic and I welcome constructive criticism if you have any. this story is also written in British English, please don't give me a hard time about it.  
> Comments are very welcomed, I wanna know what I'm doing right and what you'd like to see.  
> Happy reading everyone! (if anyone's reading lol)

Betty’s cheeks were wet, and her makeup was smudged because of the tears. She nervously got her diary from the bottom drawer, trying to avoid hiccupping. She picked up her jacket and keys on the way out and headed to the train station, which she knew was closed at that time of the night. She held her pink and blue notebook containing her deepest, darker secrets above a metal trashcan and set it on fire with a lighter she didn’t remember buying, but that resided on her jacket’s pocket. As soon as it caught fire, she dropped it and ran.

  
The only issue? She had no idea where she was going. It was a new town, very far from Phoenix, and she had moved the day before. Betty walked so much her legs and feet were sore, so when she saw White Wyrm, she didn’t even think twice. However, as soon as she stepped foot on the bar, all that crossed her mind was the word “fuck”. There were about thirty people there, mostly man, of all ages. The walls were black, or some other dark colour, she couldn’t really define because of that weird red light that reminded Betty of a brothel. Everyone wore either leather or denim jackets or vests with a snake brand on its back.

  
She felt a cold down her spine, but what the hell, she had gone at 3 am to burn an old notebook on the other side of the town and cried like there was no tomorrow. At this point, why would she even care anymore? Betty took every ounce of courage and pride she had and walked with her pretty pink coat to the bar. She was very aware all eyes were on her, and while she avoided looking at anyone directly, it felt quite good to be noticed like that.

  
“One vodka shot, please.” She asked smirking at the bartender. She smiled back and nodded in approval before turning around and grabbing a small glass and a tequila bottle. In less than thirty seconds, the pink haired girl had already prepared the shot, and Betty had already drunk it and asked for one more.

  
“So, pink princess, what are you doing on the Southside?” She asked while pouring more alcohol into her cup and making one for herself too. Betty smiled at her comment, feeling the spirit going straight to her head.

  
“I guess I’m tired of being a pink princess.” The blonde replied with a sarcastic grin, which made the bartender chuckle. Betty raised her glass and they made a small toast. “One more, pretty please.” She asked with a mocking tone. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Toni Topaz.” She said and prepared one more drink. “What’s yours?”

“Elizabeth Cooper. Or Betty Cooper.” Toni handed her the next shot and already prepared another.

“Don’t like Elizabeth?” She questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Betty swallowed the drink and felt a little light headed. Those colourful lights weren’t helping. “Don’t like Cooper.” She answered and let out a dry laugh, already bracing herself for more vodka burning down her throat.

  
Toni stopped for a second and looked at the door, at a dark-haired boy with deep, piercing eyes. Betty couldn’t decide if they were green or blue, which made her think of that song from Moulin Rouge. He was about 6 feet tall and wore one of those leather jackets with a snake on the back. His expression was pure confusion when he saw that perfect, blonde girl next door sitting in his bar, with four shot glasses in front of her. Betty knew he was looking at her like she was a monster, but why would she care? She smiled and walked towards him, trying not to trip. Maybe she drank too much too fast, especially for someone who wasn’t exactly used to it. She was about to fall, but he got her.

Weird, Betty didn’t even notice he had walked to her too. “Who the hell are you?” He asked in a serious voice, but a beautiful grin that made her giggle like a little girl. “C’mon, I’m taking you upstairs.” The mysterious boy said, before carrying her to his office. As they got there, he laid her on his bed and smirked at that sight, maybe someday that would happen again, but she’d be sober.

Betty took a look at his so-called office. There was a bed with four pillows, a table with a computer on top and three chairs. On the ground, there were some bags with god knows what and a type of pillow. Maybe it was because she was a bit drunk, but she couldn’t see a reason for putting a pillow on the floor. Or even having that many pillows. But who was she to question that pillow lover that just carried her to his bed?

She bit her lip and smiled. “What are you going to do with me?” She asked with a seemingly innocent, but full of second intentions, voice. He chuckled and covered her with a blanket.

“Today, nothing. But come back tomorrow, and I might do something.” He answered and grinned, sitting on the bed. “Now, why don’t you tell me your name?”

  
“Betty.” She answered simply. Her family, or her actual name, not her nickname, were far gone from her mind. “What’s yours? And why did everyone look at you when you entered the bar? You could totally blend in with everyone else.” She questioned a little too fast, which made it hard for him not to laugh again.

  
“Jughead Jones. And I guess it’s because the bar is mine.” He observed her hair was in a tight ponytail and figured that wasn’t really comfortable. “Loosen up, Betty. Take off that perfect little ponytail of yours.”

That was something she rarely ever did, but right now she assumed it’d be better to comply. “Why do you wear snakes on your back?”

  
“These are serpents, not snakes.” He corrected. “And because we are the Southside Serpents.” That was a very vague explanation, but Betty lacked the strength to point it out. “Can I ask a question now? Or is the interrogatory not over yet?” He said playfully, earning another laugh from her.

“Ask away.”

  
“Are you Elizabeth Cooper, the new girl in Riverdale High?”

It seemed such a stupid and harmless question, but given what had happened the day before, it carried a certain weight. While she told Toni her name without thinking about it twice, she had a feeling he’d know why she was at that bar at that hour if she answered. But, then again, he probably already knew the it.

“Yes.” She looked at the wall, trying to hide her face. Looking in his eyes would only make her want to cry more.

“My pal Archie told me what happened…” Jughead trailed off. “Is that why you’re here?”

How could she answer that? It was such a complex question to answer, especially to a complete stranger. “Yes and no.” she kept her eyes fixated on the white walls of that bedroom-office. “Do you go to Riverdale High?”

He chuckled. “Yes and no.”

The answer made Betty laugh. Yeah, she didn’t know him, but she sure as hell wanted to. “Can I sleep here?” She asked. Maybe alcohol really took all the shame away.

“That depends. Can I sleep beside you?”

“That depends. Would you lie with me and just forget the world?” She asked, making him smile. Quoting good bands was the easiest way to steal Jughead’s heart. Betty moved to the corner near the wall and he laid next to her. Their faces were inches away and, at any other moment, Betty’s heart would be racing, but she was too busy falling asleep for that.

  
Jughead chuckled and admired her for a few seconds, her beautiful golden locks and rosy cheeks. But a few seconds was all it took for him to see the bags under her eyes. She had been crying, that was obvious since he first saw her, shoving another shot down her throat, but now he could see she hadn’t been sleeping too. He couldn’t blame her, though. After what happened at school the day before, it was normal to be restless.

He turned around, knowing he could never sleep with her angelic face right in front of him, and switched the lights off.


	2. Don't I know you from somewhere?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I felt like writing today so there's a new chapter already.  
> I don't usually update this fast, so don't get too used to it XD  
> Happy reading!

Betty woke up to the most annoying sound ever, that alarm ringtone all iPhones have. It was her mother’s ringtone for a reason. The problem was Alice had probably noticed Betty didn’t spend the night at home. The girl picked up the phone and accepted the call, well aware if she didn’t, things would be infinitely worse.

“Elizabeth Cooper, where the hell are you?”

Her mother’s voice was more high-pitched than the usual and loud as always. She put her fingers on her temples, massaging them lightly. Truth is, even if Betty wanted to tell her mom where she was – which she didn’t – she couldn’t, as she wasn’t even sure of it herself.

“I left for school early, wanted to find some extracurricular stuff. My application needs to look great, after all.” It was amazing how well she was at hiding the truth from her mother over the phone, but a disaster face to face.

“Oh.” Her mother made a pause, which made Betty confused. Why would it be surprising she, the perfect daughter, made a smart choice? Not that it was true, but it shouldn't be surprising. “That’s good, Elizabeth. See you at dinner.” And just like that, the conversation was over. She looked over at the table and noticed something on top of it. There was a note, a cup of water and a box of aspirin.

“Thought you might need it for the hangover. Be back at 8:30, you don’t need to wait. –Jughead”

She grabbed her phone again, 7:28. Just one more hour and he’d be back. Obviously, she wouldn’t leave without him, not after he was so nice to her the night before. After taking the medicine to help with her headache, (which could be very well have been caused by her mother and not the booze) she decided it might be better to get up and make some breakfast. She went downstairs, to the bar she was drinking at the night before. The place was still somewhat dark, and the red lights were still on. Maybe it was always like that.

She walked around and found a kitchen behind the bar. Given the lack of people, she figured it would be okay. The Jughead she met last night didn’t strike her as someone to get mad over free breakfast. She made sandwiches, but put milk and cereal on the table too, just in case. There were still fifteen minutes until 8:30, so Betty decided to explore. There was nothing out of the ordinary, sadly, with the exception of a couple locked doors. But that was common, Betty guessed, for a closed bar. As she turned back to the table she prepared, she saw him.

“Hey, princess.” He greeted, walking to her. Now, his beauty may have startled her on the night before, and, without a doubt, he was still handsome as hell, but her attention went straight to his companion.

“Oh, my god. This is the cutest dog I have ever seen in my life.” She hit her legs a few times, enough to get the dog’s attention.

“I sense it you haven’t seen many dogs.” He joked. “His name is Hot Dog, the third.”

“The third?” She asked mockingly. If only she knew Jughead’s full name. “Oh, I made us breakfast.”

Jughead walked up to the table, and Hot Dog went to play somewhere else, so Betty followed him. He seems genuinely surprised and pleased, and that smile is almost as beautiful as his still colourfully-undefined eyes. “Thank you.” He says shyly, which surprises Betty. The high-school student that owns a bar, flirted with her and took care of her the night before was being… shy? What a weird world. “For the breakfast.” He continues, given her lack of answer.

“Sorry, I spaced out.” She apologised and smiled. “I didn’t know what you’d like, and honestly, there wasn’t much in the freezer.”

“I like food.” He stated and bit the sandwich. By the way Jughead looked it, she knew it was true.

They ate quickly while chatting and making sarcastic comments, almost if they were trying to outwit each other. (And he won without a doubt) The strangest part, for both of them, was how similar they actually were. Making their way to school (by foot because Betty didn’t trust Jughead’s abilities to ride a motorcycle and Jughead didn’t trust Betty’s abilities to go to school without getting lost), they started talking about the incident of the day before.

“Did you see it?” She questioned, her eyes at the ground when he mentioned it again.

“No, a friend told me.” He said quietly, and she remembered him saying something about a pal the night before. “You should talk to someone about that. Doesn’t have to be me, but I’m here if you need it.”

Betty gave him a sweet smile, looking in his eyes for a change. That was a big mistake though, as she’d soon realise. “Your eyes…” Jughead murmured. She had heard him, and she knew what he was talking about, and he knew she knew all that, but they both just walked silently until another subject came up. There was no point in talking about how she was holding back the tears just by thinking of the occurred.

“I guess we’re here.” Betty stated as they approached the big building.

“Want to go in?” He asked as she had simply stopped moving. No, she did not want to go in. In fact, she wanted to go back to that bar and drink the rest of the vodka bottle from the previous night.

The blonde smiled and nodded. “Of course.” She headed to the gates of Riverdale High, trying her best to keep an unaffected expression as if nothing had ever happened. However, as soon as she entered the school, she felt like she was sinking. There were pictures of her with a small towel covering her body, wet hair, and no makeup. Underneath it, there was a link to Cheryl’s Twitter page, where she had posted more pictures and even a couple of videos of the incident. It took about three seconds inside to make Betty walk out of the door again. Jughead went in at the same moment as she headed out and soon followed her.

“I won’t ask you if you’re okay, because I know you’re not.” He affirmed in a soft voice, making her look at him.

“I’m fine.” She managed to say without her voice breaking. Her fists were like if she was prepared to hit someone, but for some reason Jughead didn’t think violence was it. Either way, one thing at a time.

“No, you’re not. You’re a terrible liar.” He said in a serious tone but smiling. “Now let’s go to Pop’s.”

“Where?” The answer didn’t matter. She didn’t care, she just wanted to get out of there.

While they walked together once more, he noticed how her hands were in the same position as before. Jughead wanted her to know he noticed it, but being the cynical and observant-only person he was, there was no way he could think of mentioning it. But, then again, he hadn’t been exactly passive the night before, so there was nothing holding him back.

“What’s up with your hands?”

Betty was startled, to say the least. “Nothing.” She muttered and gave him a reassuring look. She let her hands fall aside her body in a normal, comfortable way and smiled at him again, but it was clear her definitions of nothing and fine were seriously messed up. What could he say, though? He met her less than twenty-four hours ago, there was nothing to say. Besides, he could scare her if he pushed too far. “So, you’re a high-school student and a bar owner. How’d that happened?” She said, changing the subject and making him chuckle.

“It’s not really mine, I’m just taking care of it for someone.”

“Someone?” She asked, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

“You ask too many questions.” Jughead remarked teasingly.

“Not my fault, you never answer me properly.”

“Shouldn’t this make you stop asking? Shouldn’t you lose interest when someone doesn’t let you in?” His voice was more serious now, which changed the tone of the conversation, but apparently, Betty didn’t get the drift.

“I just get even more curious. Besides, I don’t blame you for not answering, we just met after all.” She smiled and looked at him sweetly. “Doesn’t mean I’ll stop asking, though.”

His heart sunk for a moment, he wanted to answer everything, but telling her too much, getting too close, would only hurt them both later. She already seemed damaged, Jughead couldn’t give her more reasons to worry.

“So, this is Pop’s.” Betty looked at the neon sign and it reminded her of her old Tumblr account, very aesthetically pleasing. They walked in and got a booth in the corner.

“Do you like it?” He asked smiling, forgetting all his previous thoughts.

“It seems like I’m traveling back in time. It’s so… nostalgic. Classic.” She smiled.

And so they talked and talked and talked for hours, from subjects such as what flavour of milkshake is the best to which serial killer is the most interesting (while Jughead claimed it was Ted Bundy, Betty was convinced it was either Edmund Kemper, for the psychology of it, or Jeffrey Dahmer, which she argued was mainstream for a reason). They stayed there for what seemed like seconds, but hours had passed and, soon, two other people were in the booth with them.

“Hi, Veronica Lodge.” The girl had raven hair and dark eyes, and seemed like the personification of confidence. She wore a black skirt, a purple top, high-heels and a pearl necklace. She was definitely not fit for a small town, it was obvious. “And you two should be Betty and… Jughead?” The brunette boy gave a look to the boy standing next to her that could only mean “what the fuck”.

“Hey, Jug. Betty, nice to meet you, I’m Archie Andrews.” The ginger smiled, and it was like the whole world stopped. “Wait, don’t I know you from somewhere?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This song kinda reminds me of barchie, and even though this ship won't appear a lot here, it does a little in the next chapters, so I'll leave this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2QtrHbexH8  
> It's not exactly a happy song, I must warn you.  
> I swear you'll find out soon what happened to Betty.  
> Next chapter will come out soon :)  
> Thank you for reading!


	3. A trip down memory lane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! 
> 
> This is the link to Veronica's clothes: https://www.polyvore.com/shallow_toxic_rich-b_who_ruins/set?id=236285269

_“C’mon, it’s not dangerous!” Little Archie said laughing, trying to convince his friend to climb higher. By her expression, she was nervous and scared, but if there was one thing that Betty was, was determined. “I’ll help you.” He reassured and offered a hand. “Okay.” She whispered in a soft voice. She smiled and grabbed it, still terrified of going up on that tree, but with more motivation than ever._

  
_They climbed it the highest they could, even finding “seats” and carving their initials with Archie’s dad stolen switchblade on the poor plant. They talked and joked around for hours_ _until Betty made Archie giggle way too much, and he fell. He broke his arm, but it was worth it and, as much as Betty wanted to, she couldn’t disagree._

  
_It was always like this when they saw each other, which was about twice a year. He once even proposed to her, as kids do when they think they’re in love. Betty, smart as she had always been, told him to ask her again when they were eighteen. It was the last time they saw each other._

  
At that moment, Betty wasn’t sure how she had forgotten about the cute boy who asked her to marry him when they were ten, but she knew it was him. “Archie?” She asked, even though he had already told her his name. She got up and looked up at him, smiling.

  
“Betty!” He replied, hugging her tight.

  
Veronica and Jughead stood there, uncomfortably trying to understand what the hell was happening. Both of them weren’t very ecstatic with the whole hug situation, but what could they say? When they (finally) separated, you could see a shine in their eyes, something that wasn’t there before.

  
“Sorry. Archie and I knew each other as a kid.” Betty explained, still with that stupid smile on her face, and looked back at the redhead.

  
“You lived here before? How did we not meet?” Jughead asked, almost offended. How could she be friends with Archie and never have talked to him? He was Archie’s best friend, why had he hidden her for so long?

  
“No, no.” She shook her head chuckling. “My grandmother lived here, we moved out when I was less than one year old because of some stupid rivalry with the Blossoms. And apparently, it hasn’t died yet.”

  
“I’m sorry about Cheryl.” Veronica commented, putting a hand on her shoulder. Betty moved back to her seat and let the brunette’s hand fall.

  
“Anyway,” She quickly went back to the story, not wanting to focus on the snake nest that was the Blossom family. “I’d visit my grandmother twice a year, and as Archie was her neighbour and I had nothing else to do, we used to play a lot.” Betty thought for a second. “Do you want to join us?”

  
Once again, Veronica and Jughead, who clearly had nothing but this in common, were trapped. How to say no in a situation like this without having to give any explanations? Archie and Betty didn’t seem to realise it, though.

  
“Sure!” He sat next to the blonde, leaving Veronica to sit beside Jughead. “Where are you living?”

“In my grandma’s old house.”

“No way, we’re neighbours? That’s great!” While to Betty and Archie this was simply a pleasant conversation starter, the ones they came with felt excluded.

“You know what, why don’t I take you home? It’s late, your mother is probably worried about you. I know how she can be overprotective…”

Jughead’s eyebrows furrowed at the invitation. He had stayed with her all day for a reason, and it sure wasn’t to wait for Archie to show up and sweep her off her feet. “Actually, why don’t you all come to the White Wyrm?” Once again, the words escaped his lips before he could stop it. Damn blondie, it was her fault.

  
Archie’s eyes widened a bit and Veronica just stared confused and a little annoyed. “What the hell is a white wyrm?”

 

“It’s FP’s bar.” The redhead explained “Are you sure? You never invite… non-serpents.”

  
Jughead wanted oh so bad to correct himself, but the thought of Betty and Archie going home together and being neighbours made him sick to his stomach. “I am, don’t worry dude.”  
And so they went, much slower than normal due to Veronica’s weird necessity of wearing heels, headed to FP’s bar. The walk there, to Jughead, was physically painful. While Archie sent a million of mixed signals to Betty, Veronica got irritated every time five minutes passed without her being the centre of the conversation. As they entered the pub, some serpents approached them.

  
“What are they doing here?” The man was way older than any of them, probably in his forties or fifties, and was about 6 feet tall.

  
“Chill, Tall Boy. They won’t cause any trouble, we’ll just get some drinks and head to my office.” Jughead hated how Tall Boy started acting since his father got arrested. It was like all the respect he had ever had for him disappeared with FP Jones.

  
“Toni!” Betty greeted, smiling and going directly to the bar.

  
“Princess, you again?” She asked sarcastically and they both laughed. “What can I get you today?”

  
“A couple of bottles of whatever we have. We’re taking our little party to my office.” Jughead interrupted.

  
“Let me guess, Tall Boy?” The boy rolled his eyes and Toni turned around and looked for what he had asked. “Well, if you want to be the Serpent King, you have to focus on it, and he’s right about that.” She put four bottles on the bar, two of vodka, one of gin and one of tequila. “He’s exaggerating, though.” She completed. That was something very good about Toni, she was always honest. “Want salt and lemon to go too?”

  
“Yes, please!” Veronica empathised more than the necessary, passing two bottles to Archie and grabbing the rest of them. “Is that your office?” she asked looking at a staircase that led to a door on the upper floor.

  
“Yes.” Jughead responded coldly. It’s not that he disliked her, he barely knew her, but he thought it would be only Archie. But, on second thought, he’d probably be a third wheel by now without her here.

  
“Here you go.” Toni handed them a plate with cut lemons and the salt before going to another customer.

  
“I think I’ll probably drink more in this last 24 hours than I have in the rest of my life.” She commented smiling. “C’mon, they’re probably waiting for us.”

  
They climbed up and opened the door, not prepared for what awaited them inside. But, ready or not, there it was the naked, perverted truth. Veronica had her skirt and bra still on, and Archie was only in his boxers. She was controlling it, which wasn’t much of a surprise. Betty couldn’t tell if she felt betrayed or simply confused, but she had to get out of there.

  
She left too soon to see Archie’s regret and Veronica blinking at Jughead. Well, maybe it hurt and maybe it was wrong, but at least now Betty knew what Archie really was: a womanizer. It’s not like that was a bad thing, but if he was her first love, and Jughead bet he was, she needed to move on. He shot the ginger a disappointed look and got the four bottles on the floor before going after Betty.

  
He found her outside of the bar, sitting on the floor, crying.

  
“Didn’t know you cared so much about our local fuckboy.” He scoffed, sitting next to her and handing her the gin bottle.

  
“I didn’t either.” She grabbed the bottle and drank a little from it. “I don’t. at least I don’t think so.” Her voice was low, and even though the tears cued to sadness, her voice hinted annoyance. “I just… I miss my sister, and Cheryl is a bitch, and my mom is a control freak, and I’m drinking and venting to a boy I met a day ago, not even that.” She sighed and drank more. “Want some?”

  
“Sure.” Gin wasn’t his favourite drink, but honestly, who cared? She needed a distraction, that was the simple, ugly truth, and he was happy to help her with it. “Just for the record, said boy doesn’t mind when you vent. Actually, he likes it.” Jughead smiled fondly at her. “Ever tried a cigarette, princess?”

“No.” She answered bluntly, grabbing the bottle again.

“Well, would you like to?”

“Why not?”

Jughead got a cigarette pack from his jacket pocket and handed it to her. “You have to inhale, but not too much. Take it deep to your lungs, and then let it go out.” He searched a little on his pocket. “Shit, my lighter’s in the office.”

“I’ve got one.” Jughead looked at her surprise. What the hell do you do with a lighter if you don’t smoke? She tried to light one, but failed miserably, making him laugh.

“Give me this. You have to start inhaling before you light it, like this.” Jughead demonstrated, lighting up one for himself. With his instructions, she lit it, and surprisingly didn’t cough. “Do you like it?”

“It’s quite calming.” She answered truthfully. Yes, its taste wasn’t the most pleasing, but it felt natural, a bit too natural, and extremely good.

“Now, I want to ask you something and I want you to answer me with all the terrible details possible. You can cry with me, you can freak out all you want, but I need you to answer me.”

She knew exactly what he wanted but had no will to comply. “Why the hell would I want to do that?”

“Because.” His voice matching hers in terms of loudness and then going back to a softer tone. “You need to let it out. You can’t keep holding it forever, alright?”

As much as she wanted to disagree and tell him just how wrong he was, he was right. She hated to admit it, but she was holding way too much, and it was hurting her. Still, it was no reason to drag him into this mess. She took a pull at her cigarette and smiled. “I’m fine.” She couldn’t reason with him, because she knew she was wrong, but that by no means signified she would admit it.

“How about this, I’ll go inside and get find some clothes for you, then we can head to my house and you can take a shower, calm yourself down. Would that be okay?”

“That would be perfect, Jug.” She smiled, and even though it was a sad one, at least it wasn’t fake. “Can you also check if Archie and Veronica are… done?”

To be completely honest, Jughead wanted to punch Archie, had he had no self-control at all? “Uh, sure.”

As he left, Betty’s mind was free to wander again through dark places.

_As soon as she stepped inside the school, she was approached by a redheaded girl with flawless makeup. “Cooper, right?” Betty nodded and smiled. “Hello, I am Cheryl Blossom, a.k.a. Cheryl Bombshell, and I’m here to escort you to all your lessons for the day and show you around the school. Now, let’s get going.” The girl took her everywhere, the last stop being the gym._

  
_“Now, we have volley today and, even though I don’t do physical education, I am offering you a one time only chance of playing with me.” Betty, blinded by her kindness, accepted it._

_Betty, that didn’t really enjoy sports involving balls, had surprisingly a lot of fun, they even talked about the reason Cheryl didn’t need to go to PE, which was the cheerleader team. But as soon as they hit the showers, Cheryl showed her true colours. She grabbed Betty’s clothes and, out of pity, left a small towel for her._

_“Oh, Betty, your family really should have stayed out of my city.” The door was open, and she was holding the blonde’s clothes up in the air while other people simply laughed and took pictures. “Oh well.” And with that, she threw the clothes in the air, leaving them to fall on the ground. Cheryl walked away, and absolutely nothing was done. For some reason, it felt like she would never be held accountable for it._

  
_Betty ran back to the shower and stayed there, crying alone. Eventually, a girl with short curly hair, Ethel, brought Betty her clothes and, with a sympathetic smile, told her to lay low, because Cheryl was not to be messed with._

  
“What happened?” Jughead’s concerned voice pulled her back from her thoughts, and she realised she was crying once again.  
“Nothing.” She used the back of her hands to dry the tears from her cheeks. “I’m okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry AquaMarinara, I had too. After all, Riverale is based on the Archie comics and Betty was downright obsessed with him. But don't you worry, the Barchie drama will probably be over soon.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading everyone! I'll post the next chapter as soon as possible!


	4. Hold tight, it’ll be a wild ride

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I took so long to write the next chapter, but I had personal problems (my aunt died and my family was a mess).  
> Anyway, here it is.  
> Hope you like it.

“If you’re not too light-headed, you can take me in your motorcycle.”

“When I drink you trust me, but you don’t when I’m sober?” He joked and texted Archie, warning him he and Betty had left and he’d have to deal with the serpents alone. It was his own fault.

“In my defence, I am a bit alcoholised too right now, so I probably shouldn’t be making any decisions. Besides, I know you’re in a biker gang, so you can probably drive decently.” He was a little surprised she had already caught up at that, but also happy because she was cool enough with it to make a joke.

“ _Hold tight_ ” and “okay” were the only words exchanged between them during the whole ride. She didn’t have much to say, besides the fact that his smell was intoxicating, and he sure as hell didn’t want to talk about anything that would make her change her mind.

“Quite small, I know.” He was suddenly embarrassed. He could have at least cleaned it up a bit.

“It’s cosy, I like it.” Her smile made him relax a little.

During her shower, she could only think of how good the pressure was, how she’d love to shower there more. Her mind usually went to dark, gloomy places when she was alone, but for some reason it went to nicer ones. As put on her clothes, she laughed internally. Never, in a million years, has she dressed like that. In the bag he gave her, there was a black shirt, some dark purplish red shorts, a black fishnet thigh and a pair of black boots. She had no doubt those were Toni’s clothes. Just for the fun of it, she put everything on, even the thighs.

As she stepped out of the bathroom, her blonde hair wet and messy, Jughead stopped functioning. Whatever it was in front of him, he wanted it, he needed it. He kept asking himself how someone could be so hot and adorable at the same time. She was a little embarrassed, it was noticeable, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her even if he wanted to.

“You look… badass.” His comment gave her a little confidence boost, which made her proudly smile and tell him “Please, I’m badass no matter what I wear.” They both chuckled and sat down on the sofa. “These are Toni’s, right?” She asked referring to the clothes and he nodded.

“Do you feel well enough to tell me what happened?”

“Well enough? I don’t think I ever will.”

“I brought you here for a reason, you know. We’re alone, you’re safe. You can tell me anything.” His reassuring words and firm voice made her want to tell him her whole life story, but she wasn’t that dumb. After what Cheryl did, trusting people from Riverdale got a little more complicated.

“You can tell me anything too.” Jughead seemed confused for a moment, where was she going with that? “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, as long as you tell me what I want to know.”

It was a good bargain, and very fair, which he liked a lot. However, letting Betty know everything he had ever done, because she would ask about it all and he knew it, was dangerous. He stopped his own though, when was he ever been cautious? Jughead was reckless, the son of a gang leader, the serpent prince, why did he suddenly care about a random blue-eyed, blonde girl? “Fine, but as soon as you stop answering, I’ll stop answering.”

“Okay.” She agreed and moved a little closer to him. “I’m starting easy. Who’s the owner of the bar?”

“My father.” He answered bluntly, avoiding her eyes. His answer soon got longer, though, when Betty reminded him her answers would match his. “He’s the Southside Serpents’ leader, and he got caught up in a gang war with the Ghoulies. He ended up in prison, and there’s not really much I can do but take care of his… our family while he’s not around. I’m trying to get him out, even though he doesn’t want me involved. I can’t just pretend he never existed, especially since, right now, he’s the only one I’ve got, besides the serpents.”

“Wow, Jug. I’m so sorry.” She touched his arm, stroking it lightly.

“Yeah, it’s pretty shitty.” Somehow, the fact Betty was there to comfort him made everything, even openly talking about it, much more bearable. “What were you doing before you got to the White Wyrm?”

That was a hard question, but she couldn’t blame him. Jughead had no idea how she ended up there, that was why he was asking, after all. “It’s a complicated and long story, but I’ll try to summarise it for you.” She stared at the ground the whole time, and her hand wasn’t touching Jughead anymore. “My father left when I was 10, but he had been cheating on my mom a long time before that. Like that wasn’t enough to screw me up, my mother changed completely. She started caring a lot more than she already did about her image, and I was expected to be perfect. The perfect daughter, the perfect sister, the perfect student. I became a little doll for her to play, and she doesn’t even see what she’s doing. So, after Cheryl tricked me and humiliated me in front of the whole school, I decided I wouldn’t give anyone else the power to destroy me. Being nice got me nowhere, so I thought, why not start over? I grabbed my diary and went to the train station to burn it, together with every secret I have. No one can hurt me if they know nothing about me, right? I had no idea how to go back home, and I was overwhelmed, so when I saw the White Wyrm I didn’t think twice.”

Her response was so sincere he wanted to go back and tell her more about his father. Her eyes were still glued to the ground, but he could bet she was on the edge again. Nobody was this honest to a stranger, but instead of being confused, he was just surprised and content she, for some unknown ulterior motive, trusted him like that.

“What’s the worst thing you’ve done?”

That was a weird question to answer, there were so many different definitions, but he knew what she was looking for. It was risky to tell her, though, and he didn’t really know if he could trust her, but after she opened up her heart to him like that, and considering he had many more questions, he knew what to do.

“I sliced a woman’s arm.”

There was a deadly silence in the air, and no one dared to break it for a long time, but when someone did, that someone was Betty. “I almost drowned and burnt a man alive once.” She had no idea what’s gotten into her, maybe it was because she felt he could maybe understand or make her feel a bit more normal, but what was done was done. His eyes widened, but she couldn’t have known as she wasn’t facing him, Jughead clearly had no idea who that girl was, and while a wave of fear of her unpredictability came, another of familiarity and empathy appeared.

“We’re fucked up.” He manages to say, putting his hand on her thigh softly. She let out a sarcastic, dry chuckle, and he joined her. It was so good to have someone like this, like them, that understood what the other was going through and wasn’t going to judge their decisions.

When the laughter stopped, they were once again left with silence, but a different kind of one this time. A second before their lips touched, they were in sync. They shared heartbeats, feelings, and thoughts that told them, in the most illogical way, that they were missing something they never even had. Then they kissed, and suddenly kissing wasn’t enough. 

They both felt it, and they both wanted it, but apparently, the universe didn’t agree. They both jumped when Betty’s phone started to ring that army tone again. She got up and took it outside while he watched through the window. When Betty came back in, he knew what she was going to say.

“I have to go.”

He still wished she said something else, anything else.

She grabbed her clothes, kissed him on the cheek and ran outside before he could even offer her a ride. Jughead was left alone, thinking by himself how exceptional, dangerous and beautiful that girl was. She had been caged for too long, but he knew the truth. Betty was wild, and no one could take that away from her, as much as they tried – and they did.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You should know Betty's style will change eventually, but she'll always go back to her classic tight ponytail and pastel clothes.  
> Anyway, here's the link to what I imagined her wearing: (will add later because the wifi here is terrible)  
> See you in a few days <3


	5. Inconvinient interruptions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking a not so small break, I had a two weeks trip and have been having multiple mocks and exams ever since. I did find time, however, to write one more chapter. I'll probably post the next one in the next couple of days because I love bughead way more than I love studying.  
> Have a good reading!

Life with the Coopers was weird, especially since they moved to Riverdale. Alice and Betty lived alone in a dead woman’s house of a who was constantly blamed, together with her husband, for the whole rivalry with the Blossoms. It was like a ghost was always there, watching, waiting for the perfect moment to scare them. However, Betty’s grandmother spirit wasn’t what constantly haunted her mind.

“Elizabeth Cooper, what the hell are you wearing?” Outrage. It was like Betty had broken a law. Betty sighed, defeated. Would she ever be able to stand up to her mother like a normal, maybe a little rebellious, teenager? “Go change, now. We’re having dinner with the Sheriff tonight.”

“What?” Betty was confused and a little frightened. Maybe her mother had found out about the stunt Cheryl pulled at school and was about to fix it her own, radical way. Well, maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea, considering she was a minor. Maybe they could charge her with… revenge porn? Maybe it didn’t apply, but they could charge her with something. A bunch of questions popped in her mind, and suddenly Betty realised things didn’t add up. Why hasn’t the school principal done anything by now? Why hasn’t anyone done anything yet?

“I simply want to meet the influential people of this town, Betty. Now put on something nice and I’ll get the table ready.” Oh, so Alice wanted to question him about something. She went upstairs to her newly decorated room. Even though she had just moved, it all felt old. It was so pink, just like it was in Phoenix. Betty headed to her closet and put on a light pink cardigan and a grey skirt almost on her knees. She finished it up with pink flats and a bit of bright makeup.“Much better.”

Betty thanked at least her mother’s expectations of her were predictable, because really, nothing else was. A couple of minutes later, Sheriff Keller and his son, Kevin, arrived. As soon as everyone put food on their plates, Alice started her infamous interrogatory. “So, Sheriff Keller, I heard you and Mayor McCoy were an item. What happened?” The man almost choked on his food, and it was so fast, so precise, he didn’t even know how to react. His son’s eyes widened as well, and he looked at Betty pleading for help. Even though the girl had pity over those strangers, she couldn’t do much, and she wasn’t exactly surprised.

“She passed away.” Kevin simply said after recollecting himself.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Sheriff Keller.” Alice’s tone was borderline mocking, and what before was shock was starting to become rage. “I wouldn’t say passed away, though. She was shot, after all.” The food was forgotten, the tension was to big for anyone to eat at that point. Keller looked like he was about to say something, make a point, defend himself even, but Alice would never allow that. “Anyway, you know who has a shotgun?”

“Alice…” It was the first time, greetings aside, Betty heard his voice during dinner. He seemed gloomy, but in a more depressed way rather than a chilling way. No matter how it sounded, however, it had a warning sign, one that Alice caught, but chose to ignore.

“Clifford Blossom.” She concluded with a smile, and all the anger built up in Sheriff Keller made him stand up aggressively. That was the reason Alice Cooper always had the best stories.

“I think we should finish this outside.” By his tone it was obvious he was controlling himself the best he could, but it was clearly not enough; Alice had already seen his vulnerable, ugly, yet realest side.

“I hardly think so.” Alice replied still smirking.

“Why doesn’t Betty show Kevin her room then?” He suggested, but it sounded more like an order.

“No boys are allowed –”

“I’m gay, now can we please go?” He asked in a sarcastic tone, interrupting Alice. As everyone stood silent, Betty and Kevin headed upstairs and closed the door.

The room was almost entirely pink, grey and white, and it was, at the very least, extremely girly. Her bed was made, with pretty pillows on top of it, and she had plants, books and an alarm clock on the table next to it. Her computer was at the perfectly tided up table next to the full-body mirror with white frame. Her closet gave the illusion of being small, but as one of the door were open, he could see it was deep and big. It was all so perfect, it almost seemed like a Tumblr bedroom. Maybe that’s where she got her inspiration from. She laid on the bed and put her hands in front of her eyes, sighing.

“I’m sorry, I hate when my mother goes full-on into investigator mode.” Her voice was, however, more annoyed than sad or sorrowful, like she had seen it all so many times, and she had, she had been desensitised, which, unfortunately, she hadn’t.

“It’s fine, my dad can handle it.” Kevin sat on the edge of the bed. “He’s the sheriff, after all.”

Betty let out a small involuntary snicker and sat down as well, giving him more space. “I guess so.”

As she became quiet, he continued the conversation. “You seemed stressed.” Betty learnt very early Kevin was a very direct person. She looked at him, waiting for him to develop. “We should go out. Who knows, maybe we’ll find someone that will help you… relax.” His suggestive tone made it very clear what he meant.

“Not interested in this type of relaxation, but I’ll take you up on that offer anyway.” She’d do whatever it took to get away from her mother.

“Already have someone special? From wherever you came from or from here?” He asked with a raised eyebrow. Betty thanked herself for putting foundation, maybe it would help to hide the blush forming on her face.

“No, not really.” She lied. “But I just don’t want to focus on romance right now. and I come from Phoenix.”

“Your choice. We can go out and have fun anyway.”

“Is tomorrow okay?” she asked. To be honest, she looked a bit desperate and a bit anxious, but it was exactly that that made Kevin smile and nod.

“At seven.” He paused and opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by his father, who opened Betty’s door so abruptly it scared both of them.

“Kevin, c’mon. We’re leaving now.” He gestured to the boy. “And Miss Cooper, good luck.” He whispered the last part.

Before anything could say anything else, they were gone. Alice creeped up at her door with a sly smile five minutes later. She didn’t have to say anything else, Betty already knew whatever she had planned had worked. The blonde got up and quietly closed her door, trying not to get any attention from her mother, as she hated closed doors. She went back to her bed and screamed in a pillow. She once more wished she was brave enough to confront her mother. Betty hugged the pillow she had previously yelled at and let tears fall from her eyes. She wanted to wish to go back to Phoenix, she wanted to wish to run away, she wanted to wish to disappear, but she didn’t. for some reason, all she wanted was the next day to get there fast, so she could see those beautiful, deep ocean eyes, in which she could drown, and they’d still be her favourite thing in the universe. She had lied to Kevin, she had someone special. Well, sort of. She wanted to have someone special. As she cried as silently as she could, her mind went back to him, because in that whole city, he was the only one who was worth it. and maybe Kevin. Actually, definitely Kevin. But it was still Jughead that made her want to stay.

 

***

 

The next day, Betty laid low, like Ethel told her to. She ignored the looks and jokes from the boys on the football team and avoided the redhead and her minions the best she could. Even though it all sucked, that last one was the reason she was now alone in a dusty and relatively small room with the boy she wanted to see. “Jughead.”

He turned around to look at her. “Betty.” Both were a bit embarrassed, but both wanted what happened on the trailer to happen again. “What are you doing on the blue and gold?” He broke the silence, grinning nervously.

“The blue and gold?” she asked walking up to him. “The school’s paper?” she looked around. There was a laptop on the table and a coffee machine on the corner, and the rest was just disorganised papers all over the place.

“I know it doesn’t seem much, but I started out last Thursday, give me a discount.” She gave him a small laugh and he smiled back at her. “I could use some help, if you’re up for it.” Jughead was honestly getting tired of the words blurting out of his mouth before he could stop himself, which appeared to happen an awful lot whenever he was near Betty. He was already questioning himself, trying to think of something to say, to correct himself when she told him “Of course!”.

“So, where do I start?” she asked, already grabbing some papers. “I mean, we’ll organise this mess first, then I’ll allow you to tell me what to do.”

Something about that phrase and in her playful little smile made Jughead’s mind go to dark places it hadn’t been for a long while. For some reason, even though he was technically in charge, it felt like she had the upper hand. “Sure.” He muttered in the most confident tone he could, turning around and taking some papers from the table as well to try and cover up the sudden red blush he felt creeping up on his cheeks. It took them their whole free period, but the place looked much better.

“I think we’re done for today,” Betty said, smiling proudly before adding. “We should go get lunch.”

“You mention food, I’m there.” He gave her a side smirk and chuckled.

As they walked to an isolated table on the back, Betty tried her best to look at Jughead instead of looking down like she had done the rest of the day. He noticed her unease and tried to distract her talking about how he’d prefer a hamburger from Pop’s instead of the cafeteria’s food. It didn’t work that well, but at least he tried, and Betty was grateful for that.

“We can grab hamburgers and milkshakes after school.” She suggested, sitting across him.

Before Jughead could answer, which he would have with a slightly too anxious “yes”, Kevin appeared out of thin air. “Nope, we’re going out tonight, remember?”

“Don’t worry, Kev, I’m sure I’ll be back home by seven.” Betty assured him with her always-so-sweet and a little fake signature smile. Of course, she wanted to go out with Kevin, but the idea of leaving earlier because of it wasn’t even close to her first choice. “Jughead, you should come with us.”

He was about to create an excuse when Veronica intervened. Everyone seemed to have a special interest in Betty today, and Jughead was a side effect. “You totally should!” She joined them, sitting by the blue-eyed boy, that responded rolling his eyes. “C’mon, it’ll be fun! Archie told me you like movies, we can go to the drive-in.” she paused and then turned to Betty, smiling. “Please, let’s do this, let me make it up to you for my…”

“Degenerate, inappropriate and perverted behaviour with the red-head next door?” completed Jughead, giving her a sardonic smile, which was met with a guilty look. This almost surprised him, he expected some other insult, some kind of sarcastic, ironic and even a little clever response coming from her. Betty couldn’t help but giving him a gentle smile. If she had a bit less of self-control, she’d probably be laughing as much as Kevin by now.

“I was going to say –”

“Nobody really cares, I bet his alternative is funnier.” Commented Kevin, finally making Veronica quiet. “I mean…” He tried to correct as he saw embarrassment on her face but failed miserably when he couldn’t even complete the sentence.

“Anyway, we should all go.” She concluded, holding her head up high.

“With that I can agree.” The blonde added, making everyone widen their eyes. “What? Everyone deserves second chances.” Her characteristic smile was back up.

“Great! I’ll meet you there at eight.” The raven-haired girl exclaimed overly excited right before leaving.

“Movies on the Twilight start at seven.” Jughead muttered, more to himself than to anyone else.

“Do you know what movie is on today, Juggie?” The nickname, that he would eventually realise would never cease to melt his heart, got him by surprise. Nobody ever called him that, but suddenly, he never wanted her to call him anything else.

“Not really, but I’m sure we can choose it.”

“How?”

“He knows a guy.” Kevin stated mysteriously. “He used to work there, and because he stayed for so long, they’ll let him choose the movie whenever he wants.” Betty raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly, to which he answered with a smug little grin. “It’s quite annoying, to be honest. We never get rom-coms when he goes to the drive-in, which is way too frequently.”

Jughead and Kevin never really talked, but as the conversation flew by in that cornered table, full of misfits, for one reason or another, they couldn’t think of one single reason for that. Maybe it made sense that them, from all people, would become friends, like an ironic joke from the universe. Or maybe it didn’t, but they would surely find out, because both had a new-found soft spot for Elizabeth Cooper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The website I used to create outfits for the characters is not working anymore, which is a shame. If any of you used Polyvore and know an alternative, it would be really helpful. (Not only to post links but to imagine things better as well)  
> Once more, I'm so sorry for the hiatus. I'll be (hopefully) posting regularly again, don't worry.  
> Thank you for reading!


	6. Jason who?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting again just 'cause I felt like it. I'll check it again tomorrow, but have this hushed little chapter.  
> Hope you like it! <3  
> (Also, my account is having some issues when posting, so I'm sorry if anything goes wrong)

After school, Betty hopped on Jughead’s bike and was taken to Pop’s, just as they had planned it. She commented how, thankfully, the antichrist, also known as Cheryl Blossom, was nowhere to be seen neither at school nor at the diner, and he commented how grateful he was someone tidied up the Blue and Gold’s office, because, let’s be honest, even if Jughead tried to help, Betty would have still done 90% of the work by herself. It wasn’t his fault she was so damn efficient. They got burgers and milkshakes, chocolate for him, vanilla for her, and went on and on regarding everything they could report about, which wasn’t much since the dean wasn’t exactly the most lenient person in the world according to Jughead.

They touched many pleasant topics, some making him laugh so hard he almost dropped his milkshake, but some were simply not happy and, unfortunately, necessary to talk about.

“But are you sure it was Chuck?” her voice was soft and low, almost as if she was scared he’d appear out of thin air and scare her. Jughead didn’t blame her, though, by the way people apparently tended to materialise by her side as they did in the cafeteria tables earlier that day.

“I’m positive. He does all Cheryl’s dirty work. Besides, he has never guided a new student ever.”

“Well, what can we do?” she sighed and asked, leaning on the table and consequently getting closer to him.

“Not much, to be honest. Chuck is the coach’s son, Principal Wetherbee will never let anything happen to him.” Jughead looked down. He hated not being able to help her more, but at least he was being honest. Giving people hope, only to later take it away, was way worse than giving them a hard truth.

 “I’m not giving up like this. A small city like this, it should be united, fair. I still don’t get how Cheryl wasn’t punished.” She looked fierce, full of rage, totally different from the girl from the previous morning. Betty’s determined voice was inspirational enough for him to promise her he’d help her think of something and throw away all his thoughts about just accepting the reality. After all, perhaps they could change it, who knows?

“We should probably get going.” She commented in a wishful, a little melancholic tone.

“We probably should.” He looked at the table. The burgers were over, he had eaten way more than half of the fries they later decided to share, and the milkshake cups were empty, save for Betty’s cherry, as she claimed she wasn’t in the mood for them. “Or we could arrive a little late.” He suggested, offering way more than his faintly nervous smile could give away.

“I’d love to, but… I promised Kevin.” She couldn’t believe her own words, but what could she do? She was a good friend and a promise was a promise, especially to someone as nice as Kevin. He got up, murmuring something under his breath which she couldn’t quite make out. “Don’t worry, Romeo, we can sit together on the drive-in.” her voice beamed, and her eyes sparkled. She was usually so collected but hanging out with him was easy and made her confident enough to at least respond properly to ideas full of second intentions. As an awkward grin appeared on his face, she blinked and giggled. She then turned her back and left almost in a jumpy way.

He followed her, because at that point who wouldn’t, as she led him to his motorcycle. “You’ll teach me to drive this someday.” It wasn’t a question.

“Of course, princess.” He teased, once more hopping on it and waiting for her to do the same. Betty rolled her eyes in response but couldn’t help smiling.

In ten minutes, they were at the drive-in, entering the cabin for employees only and talking to Kai, a brunette kid who seemed to be more interested on his joint than anything else. “Anything for you.” He answered giving Jughead a wink. Noticing how Betty wrinkled her brows, he added: “Don’t worry your pretty face, I swing both ways.” It made the blue-eyed boy let out a snort (which he’d be mocked for as long as he lived).

“Veronica just texted me, they’ll be here in five.” She announced. “Makes me wonder how she got my number in the first place.”

“Kevin, probably. He may not be the most popular guy in high school, but he certainly knows everyone.”

Jughead and Betty were now alone, he leaning on his bike and she playing with a bit of hair that somehow had gotten out of her extremely tight ponytail. “Hey, what’s your name?” it sounded weird, especially because it came out of nowhere, but it made sense.

“What do you mean?” He knew what she meant, he understood it perfectly, but his real name was something no one was supposed to know. Well, no one but Archie, as he was Jughead’s childhood best friend.

“I know your name’s not Jughead. No one’s name is Jughead.” She seemed to be enjoying the conversation, and he started to like it too as she got nearer him.

“That’s not something I go out telling anyone.” He answered with a smug smile.

“Oh, so now I’m anyone?” Betty quipped. He absolutely loved her sense of humour, it was sardonic, like his, but not mean. Well, mostly not, save for when she used sarcasm to lecture him when they were organising the blue and gold.

“My name is something you have to earn, Cooper.”

She laughed and hit him on the arm playfully. “Stop beating around the bush, Jones. Tell me already.”

“Not going to happen.”

Jughead had heard that question since he was a kid and adopted the nickname but never had he felt joy while someone annoyed him for the answer. Never, except with Betty. It was so fun, he wanted not to tell her just so it could go on forever, and they could get stuck in that cycle of mutual friendly provocations.

“Alright, I’ll ask Archie.”

And then the endless cycle ended, and it wasn’t fun anymore. “Oh, C'mon, there’s no need for that. It’s not that hard to earn it.”

“Alright, what do I have to do?” He wanted to beat himself up for thinking such dark thoughts whenever she said this type of thing.

“Buy me a burger and fries tomorrow after school. Oh, and a milkshake.”

“Ah, so all I had to do was take you out on a date? I thought I did that today.”

And that’s when Jughead almost choked. He was red as Archie’s hair, but he couldn’t get mad at her, not when she skipped around and giggled oh so beautifully, he was unable to. Even after she composed herself, Betty held a victorious grin on her face.

“Hey guys, we already parked the truck. Care to help with the popcorn and the drinks?”

He wondered why people had to spoil special moments like this, why couldn’t Veronica pick the food up herself, but it was obvious: those moments were special exactly because they were so short. However, something didn’t add up… Since this blonde girl appeared, they started to get more frequent.

They went to the booth and grabbed everything they needed before the movie started. Everyone was more than happy sitting on Kevin truck, especially due to his incredibly soft pillows and blankets. But the day had been too good, they should have predicted something was about to happen. Five minutes into Rebel without a cause, Cheryl tapped on the truck.

“Hobo, step aside, I have important matters to discuss with the Cooper.”

Her words were harsh and said in a high-pitched tone similar to Alice’s in a sickening way and, even though she had directly insulted Jughead, the way she said Cooper was even worse, like just saying it was repulsive.

“What do you want, Cheryl?” Veronica intervened. “I think you’ve done enough.”

“And I think you did blondie’s first love, now moving on.” Her smile and voice were strangely sweet, it didn’t match her personality.

“I’ll be right back.” Betty announced before leaving with Cheryl. They walked to a dead-end road and met a dark-skinned, tall, muscular boy. Chuck. “What is he doing here?” For some reason, even though it was the redhead who’d betrayed her, she felt more anger towards him.

“You almost look hot when you’re mad.” He commented with a devilish grin.

“He is my backup, in case you refused to come peacefully.”

“Like what happened there was peaceful.” Betty retorted, but Cheryl simply brushed it off.

“Your sister goes to NYU.”

She was more confused than ever, what did this have to do with anything? “And?”

“And, you dumb cow, she’s dating Jason!” Cheryl had lost her cool, but Chuck sure seemed to be enjoying the show. None of that, however, made it clear what the point was there.

“Who the hell is Jason?”

“My fucking brother.”

She was boiling, Betty was almost sure if she touched her, she’d get burnt. “You do know there’s nothing I can do about that, don’t you?”

And suddenly Cheryl was all smiley and “nice” again. “Break them up, or I’ll break you.”

She turned her back, nearly making Betty choke on her red hair, and walked away with Chuck behind her.  Betty took a deep breath and made her way out of the alley and bumped into Veronica. “I was looking for you. What did she want?”

The raven-haired girl looked genuinely concerned, but Betty wouldn’t worry her in any way. “Nothing, just… I want to see this movie.”

“Oh, alright. But B, I have to talk to you too.” She grabbed the blonde’s wrist and pulled her closer to the wall. “Is anything going on between you and the loner who’s been eating all my popcorn?”

“No!” she was quick to respond, but her face betrayed her when she couldn’t help smiling.

“It so is! Tell me, what happened?” Veronica was now jumping up and down and smiling frenetically, she seemed more excited than Betty.

“We may have had a moment, but nothing much.” Betty explained, looking down shyly.

Veronica chuckled. “I cannot believe you already found a replacement! Faster than me.”

“What? No! Jughead is not a replacement.” The idea almost offended her.

The raven girl furrowed her well-defined brows. “Wasn’t you all over the football redhead just yesterday, though?”

“You were all over him. And I mean all over.” Betty commented, sharing a laugh with Veronica. “I wasn’t into Archie. I mean, I was, when I was a kid. When I saw him… those feelings came running back, but it means nothing. Not anymore.”

“Now, even if you’re not into him, I owe you an apology. I’m sorry for…”

“Almost fucking Archie on the backroom of Jughead’s bar when we should have been drinking our asses off?” she completed, gaining another chuckle from Veronica.

“Forgive me, B?”

“Of course.” Betty took Veronica’s open arms as an invitation and hugged her tight. “Now, let’s go back to the movie, V.” She added the new nickname fondly to the list of things she already loved about the raven-haired girl. Even if she had some lack of self-control, it was still sweet that she’d stand up to Cheryl like that for a girl she barely knew.

They got back together

“You promised to bring more popcorn.” complained Jughead as he saw them coming back, but his smile gave away he wasn’t mad. “I won’t get mad, but just because you brought her back.”

“I’ll share my cola, if that makes you any happier.” Veronica beamed, getting into the truck again.

“Already drank it.” His smile was contagious, just like his laugh.

“I’ll forgive you, just this once.” Veronica said laughing as well while Betty sat beside her and Jughead.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	7. Dangerous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!  
> Here's another chapter with a few more dialogue than description than usual, I hope you like it.  
> I recommend listening to Electric Love from Børns while reading this chapter, or just listening to it in general.  
> Good reading!

Betty left in the middle of the movie and never came back. She went to the bathroom and sent Kevin, Jughead and Veronica a text, explaining she was feeling unwell and decided to go home. The truth was, she couldn’t stop thinking about Cheryl. What she said, why she cared so much about her stupid surname, what she did because of an antique family feud, it all made no sense. She thought about it the whole way home, but something just wasn’t right. She knew her mother, though, and she’d never simply tell her like that a family secret that Betty has been questioning since forever. So, she did what she had to do.

As she dialed those numbers, she asked herself how, after years, she still remembered them. She felt butterflies in her stomach, only in a bad way. Her fingers tumbled on her thighs desperately, maybe he had changed his phone. Maybe he hadn’t, but still had her contact and didn’t want to pick up.

  
“Hello?” His voice was raspy, almost like he had been drinking.

“Dad?” Betty was shaking, and it had nothing to do with the cold.

“Polly?” He asked with sudden excitement.

“It’s Betty.” She corrected. “How have you been?” Betty was playing nice, saying everything in a soft tone. She didn’t want to cross him in any way, especially since he had a valuable information.

“I’m good. Nora is good too.” The comment made Betty roll her eyes, but it was a test, and she would not fail.

“That’s great! Tell her I said hello.” He hummed as response, so she continued. “Anyway, we just moved here, and I crossed paths with this girl, Cheryl Blossom.” His breath became heavier, almost like the name itself hurt him. “Why does she hate the Coopers?”

She has probably been too eager, as she could hear Hal pacing in an impressively riling manner. “Just stay away from her.”

“Dad, trust me, I will, but you need to tell me why.”

“Meet me on Pickens Park tomorrow at 6 in the morning. This is not a phone matter.”

And just like that, he hung up. She stared at the blank mobile for a moment, not sure if she should be petrified or glad he was coming. What was so serious that would make Hal Cooper come to the same town as Alice Cooper, even if just for a day?

She must have been distracted thinking, as when her phone started making noise again and Jughead’s name popped on the screen, she almost dropped it.

“Betty?”

“Jug?”

“Are you okay? I texted and we called you, but you were on another call.” It sounded more like an inquisition than an explanation. “You’re not feeling well so you decide to go home walking? What kind of logic is that?”

“I needed some air.”

“Remember when I told you, you're a terrible liar? That hasn’t changed.” No matter how sarcastic he was, he couldn’t get anything from Betty that wasn’t a deep, concerning breath. “Is it Cheryl?” he quietly asked.

“Yes.” Betty promptly answered. It wasn’t a lie, it just wasn’t the full truth as well. “I’m sorry for leaving like this.”

“Where are you?”

Betty looked around, there wasn’t much she recognised, perhaps she made a wrong turn. “I’m… not quite sure. Don’t worry, I’ll find my way home.”

“Text me your location, I’m not letting a Riverdale newbie wander around lost at night.” She could almost hear the smile on his face, but his voice had a concerned undertone.

“Alright, I won’t turn down another ride on your bike.” She answered making him laugh. “But don’t you want to finish your movie? I have Google Maps, you know.”

“Just… let me come and get you.”

He sounded worried and a bit embarrassed, and she couldn’t help smiling and talking in a slightly softer voice. “Okay.”

  
In ten minutes, Jughead was in front of her on his motorcycle. He took his helmet off and walked to Betty. They weren’t in a bad neighbourhood, and she wasn’t that lost, but both of them were still very glad he came.

  
“Hey, you.” He greeted with a cheeky smirk. “How are you?”

“I’m… alive. For now.” She sighed but kept a smile on her face. “Cheryl truly is a bitch.”

Jughead chuckled. “Would have never taken you as someone who swears just like that.”

“I wouldn’t take me as someone who goes to a random bar at 4 am. I keep surprising everyone.” Her sardonic tone made him laugh, he really couldn’t oppose to that statement.

“Don’t think that’s a bad thing.”

“I’m pretty sure my mother would disagree.” Betty gave him an innocent smile and moved closer. “I have to be home in an hour, maybe we could do something with this time.” He, who was previously staring at his shoes, looked up at her with a shy grin. “I’m thinking Pop’s. It may or may not be because it’s one of the only places in town I know, but I reckon it doesn’t matter.”

“You don’t need to know other places, Pop’s is the best.” He went back to his bike and grabbed his helmet. “Maybe I should get you one, given you’re constantly riding with me.”  
Betty tilted her head and asked playfully. “Is that a complain?”

“Not even close.” His smile could light up an entire town, she was sure of that. Jughead gave her the helmet and she put it on before hopping on the bike and shamelessly throwing her arms around his waist. “Want me to go slow?”

“Who do you take me for?” Betty beamed. She couldn’t even be fake-offended properly around him.

The ride was fast because they had limited time, but if Jughead was being honest, he had mostly driven at that speed because of her sassy comment. They entered the restaurant and sat at a booth in the back, the same they sat the first time he took Betty there, and ordered two milkshakes.

“You know, I discovered something this week.”

“And what’s that?” She didn’t pay much attention, focusing more on her drink than anything else.

“You’re a dangerous one, Cooper.” She gazed blankly at him, so he continued. “You appear out of thin air wanting to get wasted, sleep in my bed, make me miss school, kiss me in my trailer and now you’ve got me giving you rides in the middle of the night and missing movies I absolutely love. And, worst of all, you didn’t even have to do or ask for anything.”

“To be fair, you aren’t exactly a safe option, Jughead “I’m-a-biker-gang-member,-own-a-bar,-kiss-you-back-and-won’t-even-tell-you-my-name” Jones.” A smile formed on her face, mostly due to awkwardness; they haven’t openly acknowledged that the kiss actually happened up until then.

“Hey, you can’t complain. You’re the one that kissed me.” And she couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Not that it matters, though.” He completed.  
Betty glanced at him for a moment, and he couldn’t decide if the spark in her eyes was candid hope or playful defiance. “And what does matter?”

“Are we doing it again?” Jughead answered way faster than he probably should have. Betty looked down, trying to hide the pink flush that appeared on her cheeks once more. How could he be so direct? That, however, has never been a question on her mind, the answer was too obvious.

“Of course.” Betty shook her head and smiled.

“Good.”

Before he could convince himself it was a terrible idea, he leaned closer and pressed his lips against hers. It was a fast motion, but as passionate as it could be. It took no more than a few seconds for Betty’s hands to find their rightful place: around his neck. When they finally broke the kiss, it was because Betty couldn’t contain her smile, which eventually became a laugh the two shared.

They had to leave soon after due to her curfew and both internally cursed Alice for that. He left her a block away from her house, as she asked so her mother wouldn’t see her getting off his motorcycle, and she quickly kissed him goodbye before he drove away, unable to stop smiling. Betty got home silly-happy as well, greeting her mother cheerfully and even ignoring her mean comments on whatever she was complaining about that night. She went straight to her room and threw herself on her bed, as she always did, but this time with dry eyes.

She reached for her radio and turned it on. Betty instantly recognised the song, Electric Love, and decided dancing around was the perfect thing to do at that moment. She was so busy daydreaming of the boy from the other side of the tracks, she didn’t even notice she was being observed. On the house next door, Archie watched her every move, mesmerized at the sight of Betty’s purest and brightest side. In front of him was unfiltered Betty, happy Betty, silly, child-like Betty, which he hadn’t seen since forever. All her worries about her father, Cheryl and Archie were all gone for the night, and even though he knew it was wrong, Archie couldn’t stop looking.

It was his turn to give her a foolish and innocent smile that carried more feelings than he could process. Archie almost didn’t notice when she started to undress, still twirling around to the sound of what he judged to be upbeat soft pop music. Even after he did notice, however, it took him a few seconds and a few removed clothes to turn around. His face heated up and he betted it was as pink as Betty’s bedroom walls. He shouldn’t have been looking, but he did, and now his heart ached in a strangely sweet way.

  
When he looked again, she was wearing comfy pyjamas, very different than what Archie had in mind, but it fit her personality. He wanted to see more of her, and he had probably already ruined all his chances, but he couldn’t help it. It struck him in an odd way. He kept watching her until she turned the lights off, hoping she would, just for a split second, lock eyes with him and smile, just so he could dream of it. She didn’t look, but he dreamed about her nonetheless. Maybe Jughead was right, maybe she was dangerous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for reading. <3  
> I know it can be considered tacky to ask, but if you'd like me to address any issues or just have any feedback in general, positive or negative, I'd love to hear it on the comments.  
> See ya!


	8. First assignment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I already have the next chapter to follow this one up, but I need to revise it.   
> Anyway, it should be up in a couple of days.   
> Happy reading!

Jughead was waiting for her with two black coffees and a bright smile on the Blue and Gold’s office the next day. For some reason, she seemed like a black coffee person too him. Unfortunately, she didn’t appear. Instead, Archie knocked on the door and let himself in. Both stared at each other, confused and not quite pleased. Archie was the first one to break the silence. “Have you seen Betty?”

“No, I was looking for her too.” Jughead glanced at the hot beverage on his hands and then back at him. “Coffee?”

“Oh, no, thank you. I’m more of a tea kind of person.”

They discussed what was going on with their lives, slowly moving from an awkward conversation to a best friend talk, both ignoring what had happened with Veronica a few days before and purposely avoiding Betty as a topic. At the same time, in a different and more isolated part of town, Betty sat on a wooden bench with her father, Hal Cooper, with tears streaming down her face. So much for sleeping with dry eyes the night before.

Her voice was shaky, and her hands were trembling. “I… I can’t believe you killed him.”

“I did what had to be done, and I don’t regret it. I only wish you could forgive me.” His words felt empty, but it was perhaps only a reflection of how she was at that moment. It was like all light abandoned her, and her soul had just left her body, leaving her with a hollow carcass.

“I wish I could, too.” She wasn’t sure when she started crying, but it seemed like stopping was impossible. She wasn’t desperate, she wasn’t sobbing, she didn’t make a noise. Betty was simply in shock. “Couldn’t you just… You could have called the police.” She unconsciously moved back, making the gap between her and Hal bigger. “You could have called mom. You could have just made sure he stayed out of Riverdale, or maybe even left the country.” The tears were still coming, but her tone was angry now. “You didn’t… You didn’t have to kill him.”

“He was plotting my murder, Elizabeth!” Hal screamed, and it took a few moments for him to recollect himself. “Ted… he was unstable, Betty. There was nothing else I could have done.”

To Betty, however, that wasn’t enough. She could never imagine doing something like that to her sister, no matter what circumstances. She wondered how you could come to that point, when killing is an acceptable retort. She laughed quietly, yet in a slightly twisted way. “You always have a choice.” She stated as she returned to being serious. “I doubt it, but, for the sake of argument, even if you made the right choice when you killed your brother, dad. You just… left and changed your name, ran away from the consequences of your actions, your choices. How could you do this? What kind of role model do you want to be?”

“You’re spending too much time with your mother, Elizabeth.” Hal muttered before pausing and adding: “I’m teaching you that surviving is essential, that people are not to be trusted, that –”

“That you can’t rely on anyone, not even your family? Yeah, dad, you taught me that pretty well.”

He gave her a disappointed sigh and got up. “Stay away from the Blossoms, Betty.”

And with that he was gone, and she was left alone once more. She shook her head and looked away, hiding her face on her hands right after. All she could think about was her sister, and how, if what Cheryl told her was true, she was dating their cousin. It made her sick just to think about it, and Betty wasn’t sure if telling them was a good idea at all. Did he know? If Cheryl knew, he probably did too. Why would he want to date his cousin? That family was way more messed up than she had initially thought. Her family. Ugh.

She had to get away from that, distract herself, so, next Betty knew, she was going to school and looking for Jughead, who according to his messages, had to speak to her. She got to him a few seconds before the bell rung, but it was sufficient to get a glimpse of what looked like Jughead and Archie laughing together. It didn’t exactly make her feel better, but she had to get over how much of a womanizer the redhead really was sooner or later.

“Betts.” Jughead’s face lit up in an instant, making Archie turn around. Both smiled and disregarded school and its rules for a moment.

“Hey Jug.” She greeted cheerfully. “Archie.”

The football player took a step further and gave her a concerned look. “Betty, can we talk?”

“Not now. I have classes and Jug wants to talk to me.” She walked past him, hoping he’d just go to his lesson. Even though he was possibly the most clueless boy in Riverdale, not even he was oblivious enough to miss that hint.

“Right. I’ll text you.” He stated before leaving.

When they were finally alone, she closed the door behind her and walked up to Jughead. “You said we needed to talk.” Her voice was worried, and he couldn’t help but notice how her fingers had traces of blood in them and how her eyes and nose were slightly too red.

“Yeah, I just wanted to know if you’re ready for your first assignment.” Jughead hid what he was feeling way better than her, but he wasn’t sure if he was glad or not for that fact.

“Of course I am.” It was a real smile he saw appear on Betty’s face, he knew it from the way her eyes shined. Distracting her might have been a good idea on the short-term, but he wanted to fix whatever mess Cheryl got her into.

“Good. It’s pretty general, to be honest, but your job is to get all the dirt you can on Chuck Clayton.”

“How do you expect me to do that? I barely know anyone here.” Understandably, she wanted to get back at him and Cheryl, but with everything going on, it was extremely hard for her to think about anything else but her father and Polly and Jason.

“Don’t underestimate yourself. You’re smart, and you’ve got guts.” He smirked at her and got closer, holding her face in a charming way. “Besides, I’ll be with you the whole time.”

He kissed her gently and slowly, in a way she couldn’t decide if was painfully arousing or just painful. Probably both. She had no time to it figure out, however, because he suddenly stopped.

“Betts, this was… wet.” He commented in a sad voice, looking deep into her eyes. “Why are you crying?”

Betty turned around drying her eyes and faced the wall; she couldn’t bare the look on Jughead’s face. “Nothing, there’s no need to worry.”

Jughead moved closer and wrapped his arms around her waist in a caring manner. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it, you know?” He began in a soft voice. “But there’s no need to pretend things are fine when they’re not.”

“I’m not okay.” She managed to say. “I’m not, but I will be. I just need… time.”

Jughead turned her around and held her tightly. “Okay.” He could feel Betty’s smile against his chest, and nothing made him happier. “Do you want to skip school again? I have something I’d like to show you.” He changed the subject. She obviously had no interest in talking about it, so maybe he could make her feel better in other ways.

“Something?” She questioned in a hesitant tone. Everything she did since she woke up has been thrilling, in the worst possible way.

“More like somewhere.”

“Tempting, Jones, but I’ve been missing school way too much.” She was now facing him with a sad smile. She would do anything to distract herself, but by the way things were going, classes would have to do the trick. “Besides, we have to investigate Chuck and he’s at school.”

“Alright.” He agreed quietly.

“Oh yeah, and don’t forget we have a date after school. My mind is set on learning your name.” Betty was faked most part of her enthusiasm, but some part of her still cared about it, and her energy contaminated Jughead.

“Oh, so the only reason you’re going on this date is so I tell you my name?” He taunted.

“Obviously.” She joked back, walking away from him. “C’mon, we’re already late.” Betty said while looking back one more time and going through the door. Whenever she walked away from Jughead like that, she stole a little piece of his heart.

 

***

 

Betty regretted not going with Jughead wherever he wanted to go. Who cared about attendance at that point? Her life was already a mess and the lesson was way too easy to distract her from what was eating her inside: that her sister and her cousin were dating, and her father had murdered his own brother. Besides, she couldn’t even try to investigate Chuck as he was probably not smart enough for advanced biology. She sat with Veronica, who had sweetly saved her a spot, while Jughead sat with Archie, who appeared to have done the same thing for his friend.

As the class went on, Betty had to ask to go to the bathroom just so she could wash her face and stay awake. Unfortunately, the school halls were still confusing to the blonde, especially since she had missed a few days of class, which lead to her getting lost. She passed by many classes and found a common room with sofas and even a food machine where Cheryl sat down with cherry-red headphones on and a notepad on her hands. She knew she shouldn’t, but the redhead, besides possibly being related to her, had been snooping on her life and threatening her, so spying seemed like a good idea.

When Betty got closer, she was able to see over Cheryl’s shoulder what, or, more accurately, who, she was drawing. She couldn’t put together the picture with the name, as good as the drawing was, so she silently grabbed her phone and took a picture.

Betty gave up on washing her face, catching the Blossom in such a private moment had already wakened her up. She went back to her class and sat by Veronica pretending nothing had happened, with the exception of touching her nose in a rather distinctive way when Jughead looked once, hoping he’d catch that she wanted to talk to him. He didn’t, of course, given as he was, tragically, born without a mind-reading ability. However, he did understand that was a weird and failed attempt at communication.

When the lesson was finally over, she ran to the boys’ table, justifying it to Veronica by saying she had Blue and Gold work to do, which, again, wasn’t far from the truth. “Betty, can we talk now?”

She felt bad for blowing him off again, but it was too important to let it go. “Arch, I’m sorry I just really need to…”

“Talk to Jughead. Alright, I can wait.” Archie gave her a weak smile.

“Thank you.” She muffled before he grabbed his bag and walked out the door.

“So, what did you want to say? What was that sign?” He questioned in a more upbeat tone when the class cleared out.

“Well, I have to talk to you.”

“That was it? That’s our new _'I need to talk to you'_ sign?” She knew he was joking by his soft yet sarcastic grin, but she couldn’t help finding it adorable. She had read The Selection three years before, and even though she didn’t like it that much due to her preference of suspense over anything else, she remembered how the prince and his lover would touch their ear as a secret code.

Betty found that gesture romantic and kept it close to her heart.

She simply nodded and gave him a small chuckle. “It could be, yeah.”

“I like it, it might be useful.” He beamed. “Now, what’d you want to say?”

“I found Cheryl drawing something in the common room.” She answered and pulled the picture from her phone. “Do you know this person? I feel like I’ve seen her, but I’m not sure where.”

“Oh god.” Jughead gulped.

“What? Who is it?” Betty was growing impatient by the second.

“That’s Josie McCoy.” He explained. “She’s been receiving drawings just like this with rather disturbing messages.” He anxiously touched the blonde’s shoulder. “Betts, we have to expose her.”

Betty bit her lip. “I’m not sure.” Though the thought of vengeance made her want to spin around, Betty recognized it might not be the best option, especially since she didn’t know how much Cheryl really knew about her father. Besides, she had been warned by everyone not to defy Riverdale’s self-intitled queen. “Maybe we should save the first page for Chuck’s expose and show Cheryl she can’t mess with us in another way.”

“What could be better than have everyone know the truth?”

Betty smirked as the idea developed in her mind. “Instead of exposing her, we’ll blackmail Cheryl. She won’t be able to do anything against us after.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to ask if the length of the chapters is okay because I honestly have no clue of how long it should be.   
> Also, there will be smut very soon and said smut will develop and become kinkier with every chapter, but it'll be a process. Anyway, if you have a specific kink you'd like me to add, hit me up and I might consider it.   
> Thank you for reading, hope you liked it! ;)


	9. A field of new experiences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello people. It's been, what, two days?  
> I have to warn you, there's smut here, and there will be rather descriptive smutty scenes from now on. Maybe not every chapter, but it was one of the focuses of this one, so be prepared.  
> This is more or less what I imagine Betty to be wearing, if you're interested: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/luxury-women-sexy-lace-bra-set-push-up-underwear-women-bra-set-soft-nursing-strappy-1/32791234398.html

In the next period, the witch-hunt began. It wasn’t hard to find the redhead, she was with her Vixens, as always. They marched to the gym determined to end Cheryl’s despicable reign, but Betty couldn’t stop thinking how she would have to come up with an explanation to why the negotiations had to exclude Jughead. As they set foot there, they were assured how unwelcomed they were by the dirty looks from every cheerleader there, Veronica as the exception.

Cheryl stepped aside and made a sign for the girls to stop their routine. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and walked to them. “Cooper, I appreciate you reporting back when I give you a task, but you are the definition of inconvenient. Besides, bringing this serpent trash is below unnecessary.” She held a clear fake smile and talked as if she was indeed Riverdale’s queen.

“I’m not reporting.” The blonde mimicked her expression and tone. “We should talk. For your own good, I suggest we do it in the dressing room.”

She rolled her eyes but followed them out of curiosity after telling the Vixens to take five. “Have you talked to your sister? You should know by now it’s not only the best but also the only course of action.”

Jughead turned to Betty with a confused glance, and even though she knew it was best to simply tell him to leave, he had been nothing but a great support this first week, so trusting him was the least she could do. Ignoring her father’s early advice, she gave him a reassuring look and let him stay. “Not yet, but we’ll get there.” Her thoughts were a mess, so playing mind games with Cheryl was out of question. “I’ll go straight to the point. I have solid proof you are the one harassing the mayor’s daughter.” Betty grabbed her phone and showed her the picture. “This is just a peek at what will be on the Blue and Gold’s first cover.”

If looks could kill, Betty would be Cheryl’s first victim. “What do you want?” She fumed.

“You’ll stop sending Josie your creepy drawings.” Jughead intervened.

“In fact, you’ll stay away from her altogether.” The blonde completed.

Cheryl’s eyes were full of rage and shame, it was obviously not a topic she wanted to talk about, but she controlled her emotions and quietly agreed.

“You’ll also tell me everything you know about my family and what’s going on with Polly and Jason.” Betty added. “And, to finish off, you’ll tell us the most horrible act Chuck Clayton has ever committed, providing us with proof for the first of many exposures on the brand-new school’s journal.”

Jughead couldn’t help giving Betty a small smile. After finding this drunk girl in his bar at 4 am, he never expected her to stand up to Regina George’s ginger version. Jughead was weirdly proud of her. He reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. His touch calmed her mind; this feeling was much better than the one she felt when her nails were digging into her palms.

“I’m sure you already know, dear cousin, why I am opposed to our siblings dating.” Jughead turned to Betty, surprised to say the least with the title Cheryl used. “As for what I know about your family, nothing. I do know, however, that mommy and daddy are not exactly big fans of Hal and that you Coopers were kicked out of both our family and the city years ago for a reason.”

“If you know all this, does it mean your brother does as well?” Betty questioned. She hoped, from the bottom of her heart, he didn’t know.

“Of course not, you sicko. They were going to tell him, but Jason ran away as soon as he turned 18 and had control over his trust fund, leaving me here to deal with all these family secrets on my own.”

Betty looked down. It made her nauseous to think Cheryl was really related to her, but she still pitied her for having to live with such disheveled relatives. “I’ll talk to Polly. But you still need to stop with this Josie obsession, and we still need something on Chuck.”

“I already agreed, there’s no need to repeat yourself and waste more of my precious time. As for Chuck, meet me at the Thornhill mansion tonight, both of you.” Without another word, Cheryl turned around and walked away.

“You’re… a Blossom?” Jughead asked, baffled.

“I think I am. My father told me today, that’s why I was late.” Betty explicated. All she didn’t want was him thinking she had hid that from him.

“Elizabeth Blossom. Sounds posh.”

She grimaced at his statement. “I’m still Betty Cooper. Elizabeth is already too sophisticated, I don’t need a Blossom in the end.”

“Well, you’re supposed to be sophisticated. You’re a princess, after all.” He teased. “Now, princess, why don’t we go to that place I wanted to show you? We’ll get what we need for the paper later tonight anyway.”

“Okay.” She whispered.

“Really? Just like that?” He couldn’t say he wasn’t surprised, he thought he’d need to convince her.

Betty gave him a soft smile. “Yeah, just like that.”

 

***

 

“C’mon, there’s no need to cover my eyes.” She complained, but the grin on her face proved it didn’t really bother her.

Jughead let out a throaty laugh. “It’s a precaution.”

“Jughead Jones, are you planning on murdering me?” Betty provoked and chuckled.

“I’m not that nefarious, Cooper.” He replied. “Okay, you can open your eyes now.”

“Wow, Juggie… this is…” In front of Betty was a beautiful river with mountains in the background, almost as perfect as a postal card picture. Far away, there was a bridge, but it was too far to make any big difference in the landscape. She was standing in a clearing surrounded by tall maple syrup trees. On the unbelievably green grass was a red and white picnic blanket with a basket on the side. To complete the scenery, Jughead stood by her side, with a somewhat shy grin, looking at the ground. Everything that she wanted to forget about that morning was gone, and she didn’t even have to try. That boy was a blessing. “I have no words. This is wonderful, Juggie.” Betty almost threw herself at him, putting her arms around his neck and placing a gentle kiss on his cheek, which he responded to by hugging her back and smiling.

They sat on the blanket and started unpacking the basket. Inside there were many bottles of water, a big pizza, cheese, strawberries, grapes and a whole lot of chocolate. Betty was truthfully impressed. He had planned a whole date – should she call it that? – and she almost stayed in school going to stupid lessons she wouldn’t even pay attention to.

“Why did you do all this?” She questioned softly. “I mean, I’m not complaining, but you don’t seem like the type to go around doing big romantic gestures for every girl you meet.”

“I’m not. But you’re not every girl, and this isn’t even close to a big romantic gesture.” His previous shy smile was now replaced by a smug smirk. “I just thought it would be fun.” He explained with a tender expression, as if he was memorising every detail of her face.

“I thought I was the one supposed to take you out.” Betty commented.

“Well, as my girlfriend, you’d have many opportunities to do so.” Jughead replied, his nervous grin appearing once more.

“Well, as your girlfriend…” She trailed off, trying to pretend that didn’t completely catch her off guard. “I’d love to do so.” He faced her with a victorious expression, which completely fell off as she added her next sentence. “If you tell me your name.”

He chuckled and raised an eyebrow. “You’re really good at blackmailing people, you know that? It’s scary.”

“I’m good at getting what I want.” She corrected feeling more confident.

“Alright, alright. You won.” He beamed putting his hands up signalling defeat. “My name is, oh god I am so going to regret this, Forsythe Pendleton Jones III” Betty’s eyes widened, and her brows went up in surprise. She couldn’t contain her smile and her giggles. “You see, I’m already regretting it.”

“No, no, no!” She leaned closer and rested a hand on his arm. “It’s just… it’s so endearing. You’re in a biker gang, you own a bar, you’re really badass, and your name is adorable.” Betty explained.

“My name is adorable?” he inquired with a small smile.

“It’s charming, I swear. It’s unique and sweet and surprising, just like you.”

Jughead’s heart was ready to jump out of his body from how fast it was beating. Never, in his entire life, he ever had someone react in such a positive way to his name. It was always something people would continuously joke about for the following couple of months, making him feel completely miserable for both having to hear that and not being able to counter it because god forbid anyone ever knowing how he felt. He didn’t even realise how happy she made him until that moment, how he could lose himself in both her beautiful emerald eyes and her gold locks that he wished were free of her super tight ponytail more often, how he could spend days just talking and laughing with her, but also had an effervescent desire to kiss the fuck out of her and rip her clothes off. She made him conscious of both a sweet side of him that he never got in touch with and his darkest side, in which he hid all his deepest fantasies.

That sudden realisation made him aware of how uncertain things were in his life, and that not kissing her was an enormous waste of time. He leaned in and wrapped his hands around her neck, pulling her closer and connecting their lips. It was electrifying, and, without any warning, his body required Betty’s lips to survive instead of air. She responded instantly, using her fingers to play, which was now free of the beanie he wore constantly, and even softly pull his hair. Because of that, he groaned into the kiss, making her smirk proudly. Jughead decided to get back at her by biting her lower lip, making her let out an almost inaudible moan. He deepened the kiss and soon their tongues were dancing with each other. It all happened so fast, none of them had a clue when Betty got on his lap, but the important part was that she did.

She took off his leather jacket trying her best not to break the kiss but failing miserably, which lead them to chuckle. Still, he smirked at her in a rather smug way because she was the one making the first move to take things further. He took his shirt off as quickly as he could and proceeded to take hers too, which was a lot harder than he thought it would be. Neither porn nor the school’s sexual education class had prepared them for that. They were both a giggly mess. She kissed him again, cupping his face with both her hands.

Jughead turned his head left and right. “You sure you want to do this here?” By no means he wanted to stop, but he had to respect her preferences.

“Of course, Juggie. That’s part of the fun.” Betty replied in a silky seemingly innocent voice. Jughead didn’t have to answer, his body manifested what he was thinking more accurately than any word ever could, which she noticed rather easily by being on top of him. “Oh, hello.” She laughed, making him cover his hands with embarrassment.

Betty took it upon herself to unbutton her bra. While she it took it off, Jughead was hypnotised. He gazed at her like one gazes at the stars, and felt like he entered heaven by mistake. During all these years, he had barely imagined himself in this situation with anyone, let alone with a girl that wore lace pastel pink lingerie. When the piece was finally off he felt like everything was perfect. Her breasts were perfect, her already hard rose nipples were perfect, the way she stood on top of him, so clueless of her own perfection, was perfect. She was perfect.

Betty gave him a timid smile and bit her lip before untying her hair, letting her beautiful gold locks fall down across her shoulders and the beginning of her boobs. She shook her head lightly and raised an eyebrow. “Cat caught your tongue?” She teased laughing.

Jughead couldn’t take it anymore. He slightly lifted her and placed her on top of the blanket with less grace than he intended but making sure he didn’t hurt her. He kissed her, and in all Betty’s three years of kissing experience, which she would admit weren’t much, she could most certainly say she had never been kissed like that before. Before she knew it, his lips were traveling to her neck, collarbones and breasts. He used his hands to pleasure her, circling his cold fingers on her nipples and lightly pinching them between his thumb and forefinger. Betty played with his hair like she did before, throwing her head back and forgetting all her inhibitions while she let out moans and groans.

“Fuck, you’re killing me.” She whimpered.

He continued his trail of kisses until the edge of her skirt, which was when he stopped and shot her a look asking for permission. She smiled and nodded, which was more than enough for him to pull it down, leaving her with a single piece of cloth. Jughead contemplated the view of Betty in already wet panties and nothing more. This wasn’t something he wanted to rush, but he must have stared for too long, given the red color of her cheeks.

He offered her a coy smirk, which he followed by passing his fingers slowly through her inner thighs, earning somewhat frustrated moans from Betty. Jughead worked his way to the rim of her underwear and took it off, to which Betty responded with a grateful sigh. He made circles with his fingers on her clit, which seemed to work by the noises she made. As she got wetter, he decided she needed more. He wanted to drive her crazy. Some would say this was an act of selflessness, but Jughead thought about himself too. The thing was, he got aroused by how shamelessly horny she was; therefore, more pleasure to her equalled more pleasure to him. He started stimulating the area where his fingers previously were with his tongue, at first being gentle and cautious, and then, after she kindly gave him some suggestions, he let loose and she tugged at his hair begging for more.

She varied between “Oh, fuck”, “Don’t stop” and “Jug”, especially when he followed the pointers she gave him. As Betty got closer to her climax and mindlessly chanted his name like a prayer, Jughead inserted two fingers and moved them at a fast pace and with high pressure. He eventually added another finger, and, a few moments later, Betty came. He was glad they had a blanket because she was completely soaked. She breathed in and out sharply and smiled. She had never had anyone do this to her, and she was pleased her first experience was that good. She surely didn’t mind it started out as a messy make out session, and she surely didn’t give a single fuck about all the giggling that occurred in the middle.

Jughead laid by her side and kissed her forehead before he started to play with her hair. “Well, that was fun.” He said with a chuckle.

“Juggie… you were… amazing.” She stated in a lovely raspy voice, still trying to catch her breath. She got up and moved on top of him. Betty was a determined, fair and extremely curious girl, so she wouldn’t simply lay beside him. She began to unbutton his belt and jeans.

“What are you doing?” Jughead asked with a confident yet playful smile while getting up. “I thought I tired you out.”

“Your turn.” She simply declared and pushed him back.

Betty finished taking his pants off and proceeded to do the same with his boxers. Once that was out of the way, she grabbed his shaft with both excitement and anxiousness. Being her first time dealing with this kind of stuff, she was scared of being too rough or too gentle, so she reckoned it would be a good time to put use to all those adult movies she had seen. Betty licked the tip in round motions slowly while jerking her hand up and down in medium speed, always looking up to see his reactions. She put a lock of her hair behind her ear and put his member in her mouth. Even though it looked big, it felt bigger. She continued to help with her hand, always trying to bob her head a bit further. She kept going for a while, alternating between twisting her tongue and lightly sucking, and eventually, she just kept her hand still, only using it to have more control.

“Betty, fuck…” He pleaded.

Jughead’s moans and groans drove her insane, which made her always want to improve and surprise him, just so those sounds would never end. That went right most of the time, save for when she accidentally used a bit of unwanted teeth. After getting the hang of it, whenever she started going faster, she would eventually slow things down and then do it again. Betty enjoyed torturing him like this, especially because he liked it too. It went great, and it was both funny and arousing watching her tie her hair back up so she could get it out of the way while blowing him.

“Betts… I think I’m going to cum.” Jughead mumbled in between moans.

Betty then decided to go as deep as she could while trying to keep eye contact, even gagging a little. She kept going for a few more seconds and he came. It was hotter than she expected, and it wasn’t half as bad. She swallowed it and licked his throbbing member one more time, from the base to the tip, placing a kiss on top of it. She smirked proudly, and it was his turn to be breathless.

“Come here.” Jughead asked opening his arms. Betty did as told, and rested her head on his bare chest, tracing her finger across his abdomen.

“This pretty much beat any class we were having today.” She observed closing her eyes. “Or any day.”

“Damn straight it did.” Jughead agreed, smiling and stroking her silky blonde hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was an attempt of an at least semi-decent written smutty scene, I hope it isn't too bad. (no, of course I'm not self-conscious about my writing at all *laughs nervously*)  
> Real talk though, this was supposed to be a first experiences type of thing, so it was supposed to be a little awkward. And yes it was in a risky place, but I don't think that matters much because my first sexual experiences were literally in unused stairs in my old school. Maybe I'm just fucking crazy though.  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and please let me know if you did (or didn't) in the comments.  
> Just a last reminder, if you want a specific kink to be explored, tell me because I'm a kinky person and I might just do what you asked for.


	10. Slumber Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> Sorry for taking so long to write this, I'm on exams' months. No, not week, weeks or even month. MonthS, because the English system is a bitch.  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> PS: hinted Beronica, which might happen however briefly in the next chapters.

Betty and Jughead drove for about an hour to get to the Thornhill mansion, partially because they were previously in Greendale and partially because Jughead forgot to pay attention to the road and paid attention to Betty instead. The gates were gigantic and of a dark silver. It reminded Betty of those old gates from the castles in France she had visited when she was seven, but creepier. The doorman let them in without exchanging a word or even a visible look with them, and they drove to the house’s door. As they pressed the doorbell, a slim fifty-something woman with noticeable red hair answered the door looking rather displeased.

“Cheryl why is it there is a couple of scrumpy teenagers on my doorstep?” The lady half-screamed.

“Because I invited them, mother.” Cheryl’s voice answered in an annoyed tone. Mrs. Blossom walked back inside, completely ignoring the visitors, but her daughter soon substituted her. “Come in.” She simply said leaving the door open and turning around.

The inside of the mansion was as impressive as the gate outside, if not more. The dark wooden floors matched perfectly the gold, black and red decorations and adornments around the hall and the living room. It looked like an old house, with nothing modern or minimalistic in it, especially due to a big, traditional fireplace. Cheryl stood in her short black dress with an impressive lacework and absurdly high crimson heels waiting for them on the staircase, which was covered with a burgundy carpet and a beautifully ornamented handrail, making Betty feel inside of a The Royals episode. Jughead, on the other hand, felt like he was in a horror movie, just waiting to be devoured by whatever monsters were hidden on that shadowy house. Nevertheless, both followed the redhead to her room, which was as well decorated just as excessively and, at the same time, stunningly as the rest of Thornhill.

“Alright, full disclosure now.” Cheryl walked around her bed and grabbed a pen drive. “I don’t hold much against Chuck. He’s a terrible person, I know that, but he manifests it in small acts, not big ones. Here you’ll find videos and audios of him saying a bunch of chauvinist, patriarchal and misogynistic bullshit, the infamous locker-talk.” She threw it to Betty. “There’s nothing else I can give you but, perhaps, a word of advice.”

“I’m listening,” Betty answered, moving closer.

“Sit this one out, cousin. You don’t want to see what’s in there.” For the first time, the redhead’s concern seemed genuine. “And, I’m sure you don’t need me to say it, but don’t put those girls’ names in your article.”

“Of course we won’t,” Betty assured.

“Well, I figure your job here is done, so unless you’re planning on having supper with my delightful mother, I suggest you leave.”

“Roger that,” Jughead answered and they followed Cheryl back to her door.

The couple wanted to go back to Jughead’s trailer or even to his bar, but Betty had to go home. She was a little crazy, but not nearly enough to simply disappear without warning her mother. Jughead did it like the previous time and left her a block away, just to be safe. Betty, therefore, had to walk home from there, which was when she bumped into a muscular ginger going the same way.

“Hey, Arch.” She forced herself to say. Yes, she had been avoiding him, but she really did have to let it go, and what best way to do it than pretend nothing happened?

“Betty!” His face lit up. “You free now? I still need to talk to you.”

“Yeah, sure.” And there they went, sitting on his old couch in the empty garage, meaning his father wasn’t home yet. “So?”

“Do you ever think about us?” He began, making Betty get uncomfortable on many levels. All she wanted was to move on, but apparently, her neighbor had other plans. “I mean, we’d be the perfect couple, right?” He continued since she kept quiet. “We have known each other for so long, we’re childhood best-friends and I was thin–”

“Arch, of course, I’ve thought about it, but… after what you and Veronica did… I think I just… snapped out of it.” She explained, pausing constantly to pick her words well, being as calm as she could.

“If that’s the problem, you should know I’m not seeing Veronica anymore.” The redhead promptly assured.

Her head was still spinning, but one thing she knew for sure: Archie had been a total asshole since she came back. He had ignored her when Cheryl humiliated her, he fucked Veronica the first time they went out together and now was pretending to be all nice. She could try to fool herself or him all she wanted, but all of this had left her resented with him. “I can’t be with you, Archie. I’m sorry, but I just can’t.” She got up and walked towards the door.

“Is it Jughead?” Betty heard him ask.

“Yes.” She muttered the answer without thinking. Of course, she couldn’t forget this factor. She was falling for him, not slowly like in those movies where the guy wins over the girl, but out of nowhere. To be honest, when she was with him, she felt like she was inside The Notebook. But that wasn’t the reason why she was rejecting Archie so directly. Betty had seen him for who he was, how he reacted when things got though, and she wasn’t even sure it was anything more than a crush. Even with Jughead out of the picture, she still wouldn’t want to date him, not because he was a bad person, but because he just wasn’t right for her. She turned around, now exhibiting a composed expression. “No, it’s not because of him.”

Betty didn’t know if Archie said anything else, she wasn’t paying attention. She went straight back to her house, thankful once again for her mother’s absence. Her room felt emptier and throwing herself in her bed or screaming in a pillow wasn’t going to change any of that. Before she could realize it, she was crying and hurting herself once more. She wasn’t sure why, but there were definitely many reasons to choose from. Her day had been rather emotional, and it wasn’t over just yet. She grabbed her schoolbag and searched for her phone. Betty stared at it, contemplating how on Earth she was supposed to tell Polly she was dating their cousin. Why didn’t Cheryl tell her brother again? She couldn’t seem to remember.

It didn’t matter, though. It was best if she was the one to tell her sister. Betty breathed in and out a couple of times, trying to stabilize her voice; she wouldn’t want to turn the focus to herself by allowing Polly to know she’d been crying. She dialed the numbers and waited patiently. She still hadn’t come up with a plan. She should have, but she hadn’t, and it was too late. Was it right doing it with a phone call anyway? Maybe she wouldn’t pick up, maybe she was too busy. Too busy getting cozy with her cousin. Betty felt a chill on her spine. She shook her head. It wasn’t important if it was the best or worst way, it had to be done.

“Betty!” Polly said excitedly. “Oh, I was just about to call you! I have so much to tell you! Betty, I met a boy…” Betty couldn’t help but few sorry for her sister, she was about to burst her bubble and end her fairy-tale.

“Polly, I have something to tell you.” She stated flatly. There wasn’t an easy way to do it, there was no sugar-coating it.

“Me too…” Her voice sounded still happy, but with a little concern enveloped in it. “I think I’m pregnant.”

Betty’s jaw dropped to the ground. Her head had exploded, and her heart was shattered in a million of little pieces. Maybe this was all some kind of sick prank Cheryl pulled on her for trying to blackmail her. It had to be some crazy plan. “Who’s the father?” She found herself asking, trying not to sound as choked up as she really was.

“You don’t know him, of course…” Polly began to stall. Betty could almost see her playing with her hair, switching balance from one foot to the other and giving her a coy smile.

“What’s his name, Polly?” She sounded way more serious than she intended, but there was nothing she could do. Someone could only hide so much.

“Jason.” Polly beamed. “It even sounds dreamy, doesn’t it?”

She didn’t bother to inform his last name, and Betty didn’t really mind asking; the chances of not being him were minimal, and her hope was hanging by a thread she didn’t want to cut. The blonde sat on her bed, her nails back on her palms, drawing blood and making new scars. She was now oddly glad for Alice’s harsh though love policies, as it had taught her how to shed tears without making a single sound. Polly’s side of the line wasn’t mute, but it might as well have been, because her sister didn’t dare to utter any word, scared she’d hiccup. What should she do now? Should she still tell her sister who Jason really was?

“Betty? Are you there?” Her sister’s voice insisted for the third time now.

Betty dried her eyes. “Yes, I was just… I can’t believe you’re having a baby. You’ve only been there for three months.” She forced herself to speak in a more contented voice as if she was actually happy-crying. “That’s incredible.” Her words had the wrong meaning, but nevertheless, they were still true. Betty truly couldn’t believe it.

“I know! I knew I could count on you to stand by me.” Polly’s voice was warm and tender, and Betty never had her heart broken as much as it broke at that second. “I have to go, Jason just finished his practice. Love ya, don’t tell mom!”

Polly’s voice ceased, and Betty was left with the beeps from her phone. How did she ever think she would be able to tell her sister the truth? And how was she supposed to hide it all from everyone, including, but not limited to, her parents, her now-boyfriend and Cheryl?

She allowed herself to cry again. There was nothing else she could do at that moment, she was barely able to think. No, she could think, she just didn’t want to. Thinking was too painful, because of all things that happened since she moved, of all things that happened since she got out of bed that morning, she could only list one for certain that remained good. The day before, he might have been just enough to make her hold on, but not now. More than that, it wasn’t healthy to hold on to someone like that, depend on someone so deeply. She couldn’t let her happiness in the hands of a single person, even if that person had the most beautiful smile she had ever seen or the deepest ocean eyes in the whole wide world. She couldn’t let herself be fooled, something in her life had to be stable.

Betty grabbed her phone again and texted Veronica, because if anyone would be able to cheer her up, it was definitely her. Veronica answered almost instantly “slumber party at my house”. That was good enough. Maybe she could survive all this, maybe she could share a little bit of it with some, other bits with others and keep the worst parts to herself. It wasn’t a bad plan. Well, it was better than no plan.

She grabbed small blue shorts and an oversized white shirt before walking to Veronica’s house, leaving behind her only a note with a small explanation and Veronica’s phone number, in case her mother decided to treat her like a five-year-old, which wasn’t that uncommon.

 

***

 

Veronica’s apartment wasn’t small like she had described during the chats they had during lessons at school, but Betty betted it was small compared to her house back in New York. It was the opposite of Cheryl’s home, but it was weirdly quiet and empty, which made it equally creepy. Apparently, her parents had gone on a business trip and she was left alone with the house all to herself. There was not one piece of conservative furniture anywhere, and Betty could say that with undeniable certainty after Veronica’s unnecessary extensive tour. They got in their pajamas and sat on the raven-haired girl’s bed with a bag of popcorn and champagne because she was that fancy.

“I’m so glad you’re here B, my night would have been a total bore without you.”

Betty smiled and glanced at the glass of bubbly liquid on her hands. “Me too.” She answered in the same soft yet somewhat artificial tone Veronica used with her. Truth be told, Betty craved said bore and normalcy.

She put a hand on the blonde’s thigh and smirked. Even though the touch was a bit too intimate, Betty could tell her friend hadn’t many boundaries. “So, what do you want to do first? We can watch movies, or we can play cards or just –”

“Archie said he has feelings for me.” Betty blurted out before she could stop herself. Veronica stood quiet, eyes widened for a few seconds. “Archie kept telling me he needed to talk to me, but I blew him off a couple of times.” She began to explain. “I spent the day with Jug, and he was amazing, and I think we’re dating now. And when I was going home, he came out of nowhere and just told me.” Her sentences were glued to each other. She didn’t even realize she was spiraling that much until she talked about it.

“Okay, slow down.” Veronica’s voice was calm and patient, but she seemed to be talking more to herself than to Betty. “What did you say?”

“I said I couldn’t do it.” Betty felt like a huge weight was being lifted from her shoulders. Well, maybe a small weigh, considering everything else, but at least it was something.

“Okay… That’s good, I think. It means you’re really over him.” She was about to say something else, but the blonde interrupted her again.

“I am. I don’t think I was ever really into him, save from the time we were kids.”  Betty offered Veronica a small smile. “I wouldn’t start dating Juggie if I was into Archie anyway.” She finished.

The two stayed in silence for a moment until Veronica broke it. “I think you did well. Jughead seems like that 00’s movie trope of bad boys with a soft spot for their good girl. I love it.” her smile seemed at least a bit genuine, which gave Betty the confidence to just let go and jump head first into the fun girl talk they started.

They watched two romantic movies, A Walk To Remember and Ten Things I Hate About You, played truth or dare and gushed about all the hot boys in Riverdale High while sipping their champagnes and devouring their popcorn. About 3 am when they seemingly had nothing else to do, Betty came up with a genius idea.

“Do you have any video games?” She asked while Veronica poured herself more of the sweet alcohol they were drinking.

“I think so. I tried playing it when I was little but got frustrated easily, so I never really learned it.” The girl walked to their spare bedroom, where they kept various boxes of still unpacked things, Betty following her. The two went through it for a couple of minutes, in which the blonde found way too many jewelry and clothes she doubted Veronica would ever have a chance of wearing in a small city like Riverdale. “Found it!”

The two went back to the living room and Betty quickly installed the worst video game on Earth, at least to her: Wii. Somehow, it made sense in her head that was the only videogame console Veronica had. To complete the nostalgia, the only game they found was Mario Kart. Truth be told, even if they found any other, Betty would still want to play that one. She remembered playing it with Polly and Archie eventually when she was little. Memories of Polly annoying her because she knew Betty let the boy win and of Archie excitingly priding himself over being the best Mario Kart player in the world flooded her head. She gave herself a sad smile and ignored her mind that kept trying to bring her back to the terrible reality, she wasn’t ready to think about it just yet. At that moment, it was all fun and games with V and she wouldn’t want it in any other way.

Veronica tossed her a pink Wii wheel and kept a lilac one to herself, which again didn’t surprise Betty; of course she had those special controls. The blonde was certain those weren’t the only ones, too.

“You’re gonna have to teach me how to do this, B.” The dark-haired teen smiled playfully, which Betty returned with a small chuckle and a nod.

And that’s what they did for hours. If Betty was being honest, Veronica was the worst player she had ever seen, losing only perhaps to Polly and Archie, but it was way funnier than she expected to see her lose and lose over again, especially since Veronica was a bit too competitive.

“You look cute when you’re mad at me.” The blonde smirked.

“I always look cute,” Veronica muttered half sheepishly, which made Betty laugh. The bubbles were making them slow and they laughed at anything at this point. “You said you’d teach me, but you’re ravishing me.”

“C’mon V, you’re not so bad,” Betty told her, pushing her lightly.

Veronica batted her eyelashes and grinned mischievously. “If only you’d ravish me in other ways…”

The phrase was followed by giggles from both. Truth was, neither of them meant it really. Betty was satisfied with her boyfriend, and Veronica only wanted to use someone to get over the redhead who made her heart ache. Even if they had wanted it, though, they were both too drunk to do anything about it. yes, drinking makes people act on impulse, but it also makes people sleepy, and that’s what the two were, more than anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm starting next chapter today, but I'm still on exams, so it may take a while.  
> Anyway, I might do a little one-shot when I'm free (because it's faster and a bit easier to write). They would be of multiple ships, including Bughead, but not limited to it.  
> Would you be interested?  
> Okay, thank you for reading! 'Till next chapter!


	11. Like mother, like daughter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my beautiful readers~  
> I'm sorry for taking so long to update, but besides having a huge writer's block, I was finishing my exams, applications to universities and started a new job so I can get out of my parents' house. It doesn't excuse how long it took me to continue the story, and this is not my best chapter as even though I had a lot of time, I actually had almost no time to work on it.   
> Sorry, this is a bit confusing...   
> Anyway, I hope you have fun reading it.

Jughead woke up feeling like his world was upside down, in the best possible way. 

Since he was a kid, his life had been learning how to hide his feelings, being a leader and taking care of others. Of course, his father, FP Jones, ran the Serpents at the time, but it all had led to that moment. Taking the mean words his mother so eloquently threw at him quietly, bringing his father back to the trailer when he drank a bit too much and being there for his sister when his parents were too busy fighting prepared him for that moment, intentionally or not. He had to endure all types of problems, from being bullied at school for his stupid name to being beaten up in his own 16th birthday, to “celebrate” officially entering the Southside Serpents. When, therefore, Betty Cooper, the smart girl with golden locks and emerald eyes, appeared out of thin air in his life, it was a shocker. Not only was she breath-taking, courageous, kind and sometimes just as impulsive and damaged as him, but she also had a genuine interest in Jughead, something that, apart from Ethel on 6th grade, no one ever demonstrated. People on the gang knew he was raised to be their future leader, so they kept a safe distance. If you’re not close to someone, you can’t get on their bad side, right?

His father was still imprisoned, his sister was still away, his mother was still absent, and he still was the leader of a biker gang while still in high school, but he had an amazing girlfriend and that was all that mattered. Living the present was a must for a person in his situation, and his present was a little better than his past.

Betty, on the other hand, woke up with a headache by the sound of her friend puking her guts out. 

“V? Are you okay?” She shouted from the bed, still dizzy. 

“Please, keep your voice down.” She pleaded from the bathroom a few seconds later before announcing she was taking a shower. 

The blonde got up slowly, trying not to make her pounding head even worse, and directed to the full-body mirror Veronica had in her room, an action she instantly regretted. Not only it made her feel like the world was spinning too fast and she couldn’t keep up, but she looked a complete mess. Her hair was comparable to a bird’s nest, she had panda eyes and, for some reason, she had no pants on. Looking around, she at least matched the room, with expensive clothes and branded makeup everywhere, from the floor to the top of the air-conditioner. Betty had completely lost control on the night before, and she bet Veronica had too, but from the bits and pieces she remembered, it seemed like they had fun and, even though she now felt sick, she wouldn’t have done differently if she could. After the day she had, relaxation with friends was more than needed.

Betty headed to the bathroom and knocked on the door. “V, do you mind if I take a shower here too?”

“Give me a minute and I’m out.” Her tired voice echoed. 

She walked back to the king-sized bed and grabbed her phone. Archie had sent her a few texts, saying sorry and can we talk, but she paid more attention to what Jughead’s and the clock messages said: she was three hours late for school. Usually, school didn’t worry Betty, given as she always had an incredibly high GPA, but she had barely gone to any lesson since she transferred. Truthfully, if her mother knew how her picture-perfect daughter had been in regards of anything since they moved to Riverdale, she would freak. But, then again, she’d freak too if she knew all the secrets Betty was keeping. 

Veronica left the bathroom wrapped around a white towel and hair still wet. “I’ll get us aspirin and make us breakfast after I get dressed.” Her voice was still groggy and slow, but she had a smile on her face, so Betty assumed she felt at least a little better. 

Soon, Betty was sitting next to Veronica in their kitchen with a borrowed outfit eating waffles with syrup. It would have been an almost perfect morning, ignoring the tardiness to school, if Betty’s situation wasn’t so deplorable. The alcohol of the previous night and the small confession about her redheaded neighbor had only been a little helpful. Her real challenge was still coming. Not only did she still have to find a way to accept the truth about her father’s sins, but also make Cheryl understand, without revealing too much, she couldn’t tell Polly, and then figure out something to do about her, who was apparently pregnant. At least her headache was getting better, and she hadn’t thrown up yet. 

If she was being honest, the fact that she hadn’t completely spiraled by now was already a win. 

After the brunch they had, Betty arranged to meet Jughead at the White Wyrm, promising to explain what had happened the night before. She knew she had more important things to do than go to a bar with her boyfriend, but she wanted to pretend like everything was normal and she was just an overly excited and romantic girl who was letting her grades slip for the first time in her life. It was pretty believable if you asked her, or her mother for that matter. She felt bad, of course, for using Jughead as an excuse, but she wasn’t only creating a backup story in case her mother ended up realising what was going on at school, it was also a way for Betty to relax and not think about the murderous and incestuous current nature of her immediate family. After her sister’s and father’s little secrets, she wanted nothing but to stay away from her mother. Who knew what she was hiding?

“I wanted to know how the story on Chuck has been going.” Her hands were fidgeting, and she kept a nervous grin on her face. 

“It’s been okay, if that’s something I could say about anything related to that asshole. We have some proof, not enough to get him expelled, but enough to make people see him for who he really is.” He paused for a second and she faced the ground, too guilty to look him in the eyes. “I’m not easily fooled, Betts.” She glanced back at Jughead and watched as his face changed: his eyebrows furrowed, and his smile soon became a frown. He placed his hand on top of hers, in an attempt to calm them. “What’s going on? You haven’t been steady since we arrived, and I can tell you’re scared of something.” 

Her eyes met his, and she swore he could see right through her, but it wasn’t time. She put on another perfect Cooper reassuring look on her face. “It’s nothing, I just had an… eventful day” He   
raised a brow as if who asks “Really?”, making her sigh. “Arch’s an idiot, Veronica is a good friend and there’s some good booze on her house.” 

“Well, nothing unexpected then.” Jughead’s hand slipped to hers and he intertwined their fingers as he curved his lips in a reassuring smile. “Let’s do one thing at a time. Do you have a hangover?” 

“Not as much as I thought I would.”

“That’s good. Now about your dumbass redhead neighbor?” 

Her mind filled with the moments of the previous night, trying to make sense of it all. Should she even tell Jughead? That didn’t seem like her secret to tell. “Maybe you should talk to him about it, tell him I’m giving him a chance to explain himself.” 

“But why to me? If he was a jerk to you, he should be apologizing to you.” 

Betty sighed again, he had a point, but he did nothing absurdly wrong to her, he just asked her out. He was, though, a shitty friend, going behind Jughead’s back and hitting on his girlfriend and everything. But she couldn’t explain it, otherwise going to Archie would be pointless. “Just… trust me, okay?” 

He smiled, and in a smooth movement, his hands were where they belonged, cupping her face. “Okay.” He gave her a soft kiss, barely even brushing their lips together, but it was more than enough to make Betty retribute the smile. 

“You’re cheesy as fuck, you know that, right?” 

They both turned rather annoyed to the source of the voice. His mind was asking a million questions, starting with how she knew they were there, but no answer she gave would be relevant. “What do you want?” Jughead asked instead.

“Nothing that you can give me, hobo. Your girlfriend, on the other hand…” her smile was intoxicating in the worst ways, almost enough to make Betty want to puke. “So, Goldilocks, I’m waiting for my update on the incestuous bitch situation.” 

“Why don’t you call your brother? He’s got as much to do with this as my sister.” She spat back, trying to ignore the “bitch” comment. She had said the truth, the hangover could be worse, but she still had a headache that seemed to be potentialized when any ginger showed up. 

The comeback got to her, making Cheryl’s eyes shine. “He won’t pick up.” Her tone was full of rage and even a little raspy, at least compared to her usual melodic voice. “And whatever the reason for that might be, I reckon you don’t want our dear siblings to keep getting on it, now do you?” a single tear escaped, but it was quickly taken care of by the redhead. “You better have an update tomorrow, or I swear on mommy’s life I’ll make your life a living hell.” She almost yelled the last part. 

She turned around, her hair almost hitting the blonde in the face, and stormed out. Betty wasn’t looking for such drama so early, but it seemed to always find a way to get her. She sighed half in relief, half in exasperation. She really should talk to Polly, but that wasn’t something you said on the phone, especially since they were expecting a baby now. 

Betty looked around and confirmed her suspicion: all eyes were on them. It wasn’t exactly a shocker after the scene Cheryl made. She gestured with her hand, calling Toni, who was the bartender for the day. 

“I assume you need something strong to deal with that bitch.” 

“I thought you had a hangover.” Jughead mused, carefully placing his hand back on her shoulder. 

“Jones, the best way to get over a hangover is getting drunk,” Toni stated with a crooked smile, making Betty giggle. She chugged whatever her friend had prepared, trying her best to ignore the burning feeling in her throat. 

“Yeah, Jones, I have a lot in my mind and the best solution I can think of is day-drinking on a school day.” She half-joked. 

“Are we on a last-name basis, Cooper?” He teased. “C’mon, I hate to say this, but you have a lot to catch up on. You’ve been missing school like crazy.” 

Betty rolled her eyes but was actually really glad for having someone to care about her like that. She held her hands up, in a sign of defeat. “Okay, okay.”

After a little while, they decided to head to Jughead’s trailer so they could study. Her house was prohibited, at least until Betty figured out her mother’s working hours, so there was no better choice. They got comfy fairly quickly, and as much as in movies study dates always end up as something else, Jughead got to see a different side from his girlfriend that day; she was into school. It was ridiculous, really. For the past few days she had gotten drunk and missed lessons multiple times, yet when the time for homework came, she knew everything. In his head, he was going to help her and be a good boyfriend, but she was too smart for her own good. Betty ended up even helping him understand a math problem, in the end. 

The blonde couldn’t have asked for a better distraction. Even though she had been a terrible student, she was still good at heart. She loved studying hard, understanding new things, being challenged intellectually, and Jughead wasn’t so bad as a partner. He wasn’t as quick as her, but no one could ever doubt he was clever, especially in literature. She had missed being normal, she had missed being stable, but she had no idea what that was at the same time. Had she ever been stable in her life? Maybe when she was a kid, maybe when she played with Archie, but that was too far away from who she was now. Nevertheless, not thinking about her family problems was, without a doubt, the best thing that happened in her whole week. 

“This isn’t fair, you know?” Jughead said out of nowhere, and she just stared at him with a puzzled expression. “You’re beautiful and intelligent. You’re caring, but also strong. You’re good at everything.”

Betty felt her cheeks burn up. “Shut up.” 

“Oh, c’mon, you can’t deny it. You’re…” He stopped, looking for a word that could encompass everything she was. She gave him a soft smile and kind eyes, and then let out a shy laugh. The word was on the tip of his tongue, it was right there, but he couldn’t say it just yet. 

He would have had to continue if someone hadn’t knocked on the door so frantically, so while he was caught by surprise, he was definitely glad. Jughead got up and walked to the window, careful not to step on any of the books so messily laying on the ground. It was a middle-aged woman, with blonde curly hair and piercing blue eyes. Jughead was paralyzed. She looked so familiar, too familiar. It was her, the woman who the picture popped up whenever Betty said her mother was calling. 

“Go to my room. Your mom is here.” He whispered, and she promptly complied. Betty’s mind was racing. How did she know where she was? Maybe Cheryl got impatient and decided to take matters on her own hands. 

Jughead opened the door and the woman came in without a single explanation or hello. “Where is he? Where the hell is Forsythe?” She barged. If looks could kill, he and everyone in a five miles radio would have been dead. At least she wasn’t looking for Betty. “Who are you?”

“He’s not here.” He answered as calmly and indifferently as possible. It wasn’t, after all, the first time a woman came enraged looking for his father. “What do you want?” 

“Nothing from you.” She spat and kept analyzing the trailer. It felt like she was judging it at first, but after a moment he realized she was looking for clues. Like mother, like daughter. 

“Well, if you must know, he won’t be back for a while. He’s in jail.” His voice was emotionless, if not a bit annoyed. He really shouldn’t treat his girlfriend’s mother like that, but that’s how he treated everyone who burst into his house without a decent reason. 

Alice stopped for a second and tried to contain her surprise, but she couldn’t hide it very well. “Then thank you.” She told him almost in a murmur before turning around and walking away. 

Betty waited a few seconds after the door was closed before coming out. “What was that?” She asked no one in particular. She didn’t see her mother’s face, but she heard everything, and there was no doubt it was a serious matter. Alice was always conniving, cynic and manipulative. Losing her cool never happened unless it was part of a big elaborate plan, yet that was exactly what she had just done. “What does she want with your dad?” 

“I have no idea.” 

They might not have known each other that well, but there was a connection there and they took a chance at it. They were now realizing they were even more similar than they thought. After that, they were both sure where Alice was going and no way in hell they would just forget about it, but they also had to wait a bit. She had to be the one to get there first. 

“Visitation hours start in half an hour.” He stated and held her hand. “We have to go.” 

“Of course.” 

It took Jughead a lot of effort to drive slowly, both because he loved driving fast and because anyone who ever drove a motorcycle knows it’s way easier to go on a quicker pace, but they had to arrive after Alice so she wouldn’t see them. 

“That’s my mother’s car. C’mon!” Betty rushed as they parked the bike. 

“I’ll go distract the guard, you go listen to their conversation.” The blonde told him, and he obeyed. It was the smartest choice, after all. Alice couldn’t get mad at Jughead for going to see his father in prison, but she would flip out if she saw her daughter anywhere near that place. 

He walked quietly to the visitation area while Betty charmed the guard but didn’t enter. He needed to be careful. This wasn’t a confrontation, it was spying. 

“You shouldn’t’ve come here,” FP told her. “But Jug doesn’t usually come today, so it’s okay.” He continued with a sigh. “What are you doing here, anyway?” 

“I had to come back. It was the only place I know I would always have a home. I’m not with Hal, so I don’t think they’ll do much.” She explained. 

“I meant here, visiting me.” His voice carried a sadness Jughead had only seen before when they discussed his mother. “Alice…”

“What are you doing here?” She questioned him with a hurt expression. “I never thought you’d end up in jail…” 

“It doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t waste your energy with this. You chose Hal and you can’t come back just because life isn’t how you thought it’d be.” His words were cold and full of anger, but Jughead saw in his eyes it wasn’t just that, and so did Alice. 

“Forsythe, don’t do this… I’m sorry, okay?”

“It doesn’t matter.” He repeated. “I’m in here, and you’re out there.”

“I’ll get you out.” She told him with a mix of confidence and despair. “Please.” Alice had tears on her eyes now. FP gave her a sympathetic look and held out his hands as far as he could under the table. She grabbed them as discretely as she could, the tears she had trapped finally running free, but silently.

“You know you’ll always have a home here.” 

Jughead was too shocked to do anything else than walk away. He tried his best not to stumble or make any noise but failed miserably. Alice and FP, however, were too lost in their own world to notice, and he wasn’t sure if he liked that or not. He grabbed Betty by the arm and pulled her outside, ignoring the police officers telling them to wait a minute. 

“We need to get out of here. Now.” He told her already giving her a helmet and jumping on his bike. 

There was the beginning of their conversation, and that was already suspicious enough, but the rest? How would he explain to her girlfriend their parents were… involved? How do you break this type of news? He didn’t even know how to process it himself. Their parents dating, keeping secrets, they were even physically similar to them. It made him sick to his stomach, but also sparked some curiosity. He never really believed in destiny, but the Jones men seemed to be doing an extraordinary, unbelievable success with the Cooper women.

Perhaps Jughead was a little too right when he saw the way Alice acted reminded him of his girlfriend in his house. Perhaps they were just a parallel of their parents. What he didn’t dare think, however, because it was way too hopeful for his broody self and a bit too eager too, was that perhaps she was meant to fall for him. Even though the whole situation was awkward, he couldn’t help noticing the way her mother looked at his father. Maybe she’d look like that at him one day. Like mother, like daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, everyone has a lot of secrets, but it's Riverdale, so what did you expect?   
> Also, I love Falice so that's that.   
> Next chapter or the one after that will include some smut, so be careful, and there will be an eventual flashback Falice with a parallel of present-time Falice.   
> I'll post the next chapter as soon as possible!   
> Thank you for reading <3


	12. Fragile like a bomb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I didn't proofread this, but I had to post it because I'm late (again). Sorry! 
> 
> Have a good reading.

Betty had never been so uneasy. Not even when Alice would pretend to be nice to her friends just so she could interrogate them. She sat on one side of the sofa and he sat on the other, completely speechless. Not only none of them had any idea of what to say, but they also didn’t know if saying anything would be appropriate. It had passed only a couple of minutes since Jughead told her what happened to their parents, but it felt like an eternity. Her hands were fidgeting, and she was biting her lip, trying her best to avoid him. Jughead, on the other hand, was way more anxious than uncomfortable. It was awkward, that’s for sure, but he couldn’t help but run all the possible scenarios in his head, thinking about what that would mean for their relationship.

That’s why, after that two-minutes eternity, he moved swiftly to the side, holding her hands in a loving manner.

“Look, I don’t know what our parents have, but it doesn’t involve us.” He began. “We could just… ignore it.”

“How?” Betty asked, but it sounded more like she was begging for an answer.

Jughead thought about what he had witnessed for a minute. “Well, he’s locked up, and she’s not. We’re both here. It’s not a problem.”

She bit her lip once more. “Yet.”

“Yet.” He echoed, looking down.

“Then… I guess we should make the best of the present.” She added in a sweet voice, but as he looked into her eyes, they had nothing of sweet. She was being suggestive, and soon her biting her lip painted a very different image.

If they were being honest, the circumstances were nowhere near the ones they pictured for this moment. They were still not completely comfortable, but that was attributed to the natural nervousness of what they were about to do too. It wasn’t something they planned beforehand, and it wasn’t something neither of them had ever done before, so all those emotions were normal.

  
Betty placed herself on his lap and put her hands on the back of his neck, pulling him closer. It was slow, so slow she had time to smile before their lips finally touched. His hands instinctively went to her back and waist, traveling around as their kiss got deeper. She nibbled for a while on his lower lip for a while, almost like asking permission to bite it before she did it, so he knew it was coming, but it still felt amazing. It made him gather the confidence to lower his hands to her ass and squeeze it before going for the buttons on her jeans. In no time, they were making out on the couch, Betty only wearing her underwear and Jughead shirtless.

In the position she was in, almost hugging his waist with her long, naked legs, she could feel him getting harder as she teased him. Betty wasn’t one to do things half-assed, as her mother always said, and this translated to the situation quite literally. She wiggled herself, grinding on him and smirking devilishly as he groaned. She enjoyed realizing she was the one making him a mess. Still moving her hips, she took her hair off her ponytail and began to take off her sheer black bra. The previous time, he had a hard time taking her shirt off, imagine him trying to unbutton that.

Just like the time in the field, he looked at her like she was a beautiful masterpiece, but she couldn’t tease him this time, she was too nervous. Instead, she blushed and looked away. “You’re breath-taking.” He told her before pulling her back into the kiss. Betty forgot her inhibitions as soon as their lips brushed against each other once again. Her fingers were tangled in his wavy hair, and he was playing with her breasts.

The kiss got more passionate and sloppy as they both interrupted it to moan from time to time, and suddenly Jughead’s pants got too uncomfortable. She was quick to undo his jeans and get up so she could take off the last piece of fabric she wore. Betty did so in a seductive manner, slow and rhythmic enough to almost create an illusion of a song playing in the background. She dropped her panties on the ground and walked away inside his bedroom.

He followed her without thinking twice. As he approached her, Betty turned, now walking backwards to the bed. Jughead started unzipping his pants and pulling down his boxers before leaning in and making her lie down. He gave her a quick, but ardent kiss and kneeled down. He wasn’t stupid, he knew he couldn’t just jump to it. Jughead opened her legs carefully and kissed his way from her thighs to her clit. He sucked on it a little, tried some different things he hadn’t done the previous time, but stick to what he knew would work too. This part wasn’t about him, but about her, and all he wanted was to make her feel good.

“J-Jug!” She moaned in a raspy voice, “Please, fuck me already!”

It was impossible to deny a woman like that, begging so charmingly for him to ravish her. Jughead quickly got up and placed his member on her entrance. “You sure?” He asked cautiously. If she ended up saying “no, I changed my mind” he would probably kill himself for asking, but he cared about her and wanted it to be mutual.  
“Yes.” She reassured with a smile.

He went in slowly, trying his best not to hurt her in any way. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure if her moans were of pain or pleasure, possibly a mixture of both, so he just moved carefully. Betty didn’t feel good immediately, but she didn’t feel bad either. It was uncomfortable, but a lot less painful than she was told it would be. As he moved more, however, she caught herself moaning louder, gripping the sheets and even asking him to go faster.

Jughead obeyed once again, doing his best to go at a quicker pace. He was afraid of pounding inside her too hard, but as she kept moaning he couldn’t control himself anymore. His grip on her waist tightened as he let his caution go out the window, following every single moan, going harder and faster. It didn’t take much more for Betty to explode.  
“Jug, I-I’m close!” She whimpered. “Don’t stop!”

A few more thrusts did it for her, but he wasn’t done yet. Jughead kept going, now feeling a desperation to finish. It wasn’t perfect, of course. There were no candles, no romantic music, and both were more nervous than they would admit, being their first time and everything, but it was amazing. It was a feeling different from any other. Physically, it was incredible, but there was something happening in their hearts too. After coming, he threw himself on the bed next to her, both panting and sweating, their hearts pounding so much it was almost audible. Both looked at the ceiling as if trying to understand what just happened.

“This was… way better than I thought it’d be.” He said after a minute of silence.

“It definitely was.” Betty agreed, still having trouble breathing.

It took a few more seconds until Jughead had a heart attack. “Wait!” He practically yelled, sitting up straight and widening his eyes. “We didn’t use a condom!”

She chuckled lightly and sat on the bed too, putting her hand on his chest right after. “I’m on birth control,” Betty told him, calmly. “You have nothing to worry about.” She laid back again and continued talking once he followed her with a still shocked expression. “We do have to be more careful next time, though.”

He turned his head and stared into her eyes seductively, one eyebrow arched. “Next time, huh?”

“Mhm-hm.” She hummed and smiled, climbing on top of him. “Next times, actually.” She muttered and then dove in for a chaste kiss.

“You’ll be the death of me.” He spoke, retributing her smile and then giving her a peck after the other.

Whatever happened before between their parents didn’t matter anymore. They would deal with it later, so in a way, they were only postponing an inevitable problem, but now they were certain they could handle it. They hadn’t talked about it yet, but now they knew whatever they felt for each other, it hadn’t been affected by it.

Staying in bed was so easy, hugged by both the sheets and her arms, and it was also so comforting, but he knew he had things to do. He was supposed to run a gang, after all, and he had been mildly ignoring that ever since she appeared at his bar, but staying apart seemed like such a dull, terrible option. “We have this thing tonight at the bar.” He blurted out before realizing what he was doing. “If you want to come, that's okay.”

“I’d love to, but I can’t.” She replied with a sad smile. “I have to talk to Polly. Not for Cheryl, but because she’s important to me.” Betty bit her lip, afraid of saying the full truth so early. She didn’t know what her sister would want to do after she knew they were related to the Blossoms. “I’m going to visit her tomorrow morning, so I have to pack and convince my mom tonight.”

He reached for her hands, trying to gladden her. “You sure you want to do this alone?”

“No, not really, but if I’m calling anyone else, it should be Cheryl.” She stated with a sigh. “I can’t say she’ll make the trip more pleasant, but she’s in the same situation as me. Sort of.”

“That’s really considerate of you…” Jughead told her smiling, but it soon went away. “Look, about our parents –”

“You don’t have to worry. What they feel for each other has nothing to do with what we feel.” She announced in a more serious tone, but it sounded like she was trying to convince herself, not him, that everything would be okay. “We’re not our parents.”

Well, Jughead sure hoped not, otherwise his life was doomed to be spent in prison.

They laid a few more minutes on the bed until Betty was brave enough to get up. She took a shower quickly, and it felt weirdly natural. When she came out, he was nowhere to be found, but her clothes had been retrieved from different corners of the trailer and were carefully displayed on the bed for her. She couldn’t help smiling. How was such a nice person the leader of a gang? She quickly brushed off the thought. Betty had her own problems, and he didn’t seem to dislike it, so perhaps it wasn’t such a weight. She got dressed and headed outside.

“Do you think I care about any of that? Do I really need to explain it to you again?” He almost screamed at the phone. “You are not the leader here, I am! If my father trusted you so much, he would have left you as the successor. I am done with your crap. You will obey me, like everyone else, and you know why? Because I don’t want any more of your dumbasses ending up behind bars, that’s why! I don’t give a fuck if drugs get us money, that’s not how this gang works. Sell what you have, but this is the last time. I will not warn you again.”

Betty was in shock. Half of her told her to run and never come back. How could someone be so sweet in a minute and so terrorizing in the other? This wasn’t normal, and sure as hell wasn’t healthy, but what was? Her situation was so messed up that someone yelling at the phone over some drug business didn’t seem so serious. Moreover, the more irrational part of her was intrigued. Something drove her to him, something told her they were much more similar than they seemed to be, and it made her want to know him more. Betty couldn’t ignore that deeply buried desire to dive head first on this guy’s world.

“Betts… Sorry about that.” He apologized, suddenly showing a softer side.

“It’s okay.” She decided, reassuring him with another smile. He was too interesting, too mysterious for her, who was, after all, Alice’s daughter, to just let something like that go. “I think I’ll come tonight.”

 

\---

 

Saying Alice was unhappy with her daughter’s decision to call out school and jump on a trip of who knows how many days to see her sister because she missed her was a big understatement, but it came nowhere near the emotions she felt when Betty announced, not asked, that she was going to a party. She could have snuck out but pissing off her mother had been a pleasure after she denied permission for Betty to see Polly, which was something she planned on ignoring anyway. What truly made her fly off the handle was the way Betty dressed to said party.

“I don’t see how the clothing I wear relates to my worth, mother, and I frankly don’t really care if you do.” Betty burst in anger. Whenever Alice made comments that made her feel less of herself because whatever she was wearing was too short or too tight, Betty really wanted to yell at her. She didn’t only because she had some sense of danger. Not that much, though, seeing as she was wearing a skin-tight strapless white dress, fishnet thighs, black high-heel boots and a leather jacket.

“I don’t even know where you got all this, Elizabeth!” She exclaimed exasperatedly.

“And I don’t really feel like telling you, mom. Now if you excuse me, I’m more late than what would be polite.” She didn’t shove Alice, but she could have because, at that moment, nothing could make her madder.

She knew her boyfriend would be on the corner waiting for her, so she walked with a victorious smile on her face to him. It wasn’t as hard as she thought it would be walking with such high heels, probably because of the years of ballet when she was younger. It was funny to think about it now that she was dressed so rebelliously about a time when she would never even dream of applying eyeliner if she wasn’t going on stage. Not that she hated that time, she actually felt a good nostalgia towards it, it just didn’t make sense for her anymore.

“You look… Just… Wow.” He tried to form a sentence, but no compliment could englobe how breath-taking she was. “I just wanna take you back to my trailer.”

That final part made her giggle. She muttered something about him being silly and hoped on the back of his motorcycle. This was her last day before going to face her reality and possibly destroy her sister’s happiness, so she was going to make it count.

It took them about ten minutes to get to the White Wyrm, and when they did, all eyes were on her once more. She was almost getting used to the feeling. They walked side by side, and she could see how the way people looked at her changed because of it. There were three types of looks: the ones from people who couldn’t believe she was there, from people who respected him too much to express any opinion, and from Toni and the boys behind her, who looked like someone had just told them a really funny joke.

“You look dashing,” Toni commented jokingly. “Different from the usual pastel colors, huh?”

Betty chuckled. “A bit.” Even though it was somewhat comfortable being there with him and Toni, it still made Betty a bit anxious. Maybe it was because of Jughead’s phone call back at his trailer, or maybe she was just overwhelmed with the number of things happening all at once in her life, but it didn’t matter; her fingers still fidgeted non-stop. “So, what’s so special about tonight?”  
“We’re celebrating Tall Boy’s return from jail,” Toni explained swiftly before any of the boys behind her could make a rude comment, which she knew they would. It didn’t stop the tallest one of rolling his eyes though.

“He was my father’s right-hand man.” Jughead, seeing her puzzled expression, added. “He’s the one I was talking to today.” It only took that and a shared look for Betty to realize no one else was supposed to know.

“So, blondie, becoming a frequent customer here, no?” The raven-haired boy asked with a smug smirk as if he had just told a funny joke.

“How is this your business, Sweet Pea?” Toni retorted with a rather irritated tone. The boy didn’t answer, simply shrugged. “That’s better.”

“I think we should head to the bar.” The lad behind Sweet Pea said after a few uncomfortable seconds that seemed to last for eternity. The idea was well received, and that’s what they did.

The party was only beginning, Tall Boy was yet to be seen, but the bar was already filled with people. Differently from the first time Betty entered that bar, there were more teens and more girls in general. They all seemed to have known each other their entire life, but, in reality, there were only some legacies there. Most of the adults didn’t really involve their kids in the gang’s business, and most teenagers were there without parents, either because they were kicked out or because they ran away from home. One way or another, they were family. A family that often got drunk with their underaged members, but a family nonetheless.

“So, Fangs, you’re here because your parents both went missing?”

“No, my dad went missing, I know where my mom is, she just doesn’t give a shit.” The tanned boy told her a little more chilled than he should be, probably due to the alcohol. “What are you doing here though?”

Betty's eyes traveled from her boyfriend and to Toni. “I guess I just enjoy the company.”

“Then enjoy the company in your own place.” Sweet Pea spat. “Don’t come here pretending to be like one of us.”

“SP, I’m warning you, do not speak like this again to her.” Jughead angrily told him, his eyebrows arching and muscles contracting.

“What? Why can’t you just fuck her somewhere else? Why on the bar?” He now sounded more bothered and tired than mad, but his tongue was still just as sharp. “She doesn’t belong here.”

Jughead’s body language was giving Sweet Pea all the signs to shut the hell up and run, but he had a bit too much to drink and either didn’t realize it and didn’t care. His hands were formed into fists, and he was ready to fight him, but the blonde by his side was faster. Since the first snarky comment, she had been trying her best not to bury her nails on her palms, trying her best not to blame herself for all the stress her boyfriend was dealing with because of just the way she acted and looked. It was infuriating her almost as much as her mother, probably because, in different ways, they said the same thing: she didn’t belong in this world, she was too fragile. The thing about Betty was she was fragile, just not like a flower. She was fragile like a bomb: if you provoked her the wrong way, she’d explode, and you’d just be another causality.

After all the revelations she had had, all the frustrations, all the dilemmas, all the problems, Sweet Pea’s comment was nothing but the last drop. In a smooth movement, she slapped him in the face with all her strength. It made a loud sound, but the music was loud enough to only call the attention of a couple of people around them. “Don’t you ever speak to me like this.” She echoed Jughead’s words, but more deliberately.

“Bitch!” The boy exclaimed, taking his hand to his now red cheek. “Are you gonna let her hit me like this, Jones? Don’t the rules mean nothing to you?”

“Say shit, get hit.” He simply said with a malicious grin, as if who said, ‘you deserved it’.

Frustrated and outraged, Sweet Pea turned around and walked away. Of course, he’d love to kick Betty’s ass, but then he’d have to deal with their leader, and he wasn’t that stupid. Fangs didn’t waste time and ran after him. Toni stared at the blonde in a mix of shock and awe and then proceeded to follow the boys.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.” She told him as soon as they were gone. Truth be told, she wasn’t exactly sorry, but then again it wasn’t intentional either. She wasn’t trying to bitch-slap him, but his words stung a bit too much and she had already had too many surprises for a day.

Jughead just smiled and held her hands firmly. “Hey, he had it coming. It’s okay.” Betty’s reaction was to hug him tight, burying her face on his chest. “It’s been a long day.”

“Jones don’t be like that.” They heard a voice behind them say in a tone of mockery and devilishness. “The night’s just beginning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be mainly about Jughead's life and then the next one will follow Betty and Cheryl and the terrible news they must tell their siblings. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! 
> 
> The name of the chapter and the song Betty refers to is a part of the song Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol, here's the link if you want to check it out  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5mubJhWtNQ
> 
> I might edit this chapter later, or maybe add a few more links with clothes or whatever. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it. <3


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